Love Conquers All
by Lady Galahad
Summary: Ivanova/Marcus pairing. A friend from Marcus' past may have the means to bring him back. Conclusion now up.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: All characters from the TV series, Babylon 5 are copyrighted to 'Warner Brothers' and 'Babylonian Productions'. All characters created outside and the plot of this story are copyrighted to the author. This work is non-profit and cannot be sold for profit. This is for entertainment purposes only and should be taken as such.

AUTHOR: Lady Galahad

SPOILERS: Minor Season 3, 4 and 5.

SYNOPSIS: I/M. A friend from Marcus' past may have the means to revive him. Set during the backdrop of Season 5 but is really an AU story in regards to my favourite Ranger, Marcus Cole.

LOVE CONQUERS ALL

By Lady Galahad.

Susan Ivanova sat at the back of a dingy bar, nursing her drink. As usual, it was vodka. It had been eight months since she'd left Babylon 5 and taken up command of her new warlock-class ship called Hydra. They had docked at yet another planet to replenish supplies and she had decided to have a little shore leave in a bid to relax.

With a sigh she sipped some of the clear liquid and relished the burning sensation as it slid down her throat. Only eight short months and yet they felt like eight long years. She missed everyone at the station so much. 

John Sheridan, although now President, still kept in touch. He'd been sad to see her go but understood and supported her decision to leave. She was on better terms with Michael Garibaldi now, they'd had a long talk and sorted things out. 

Stephen Franklin she heard from the most. They'd formed something akin to a brother/sister bond after he had found and comforted her that awful day in Medlab when she had been inconsolable over the way fate had dealt her yet another terrible blow. On more than one occasion Stephen had asked her to return to the station and meet up with her friends but she knew she couldn't step one foot back

on there again until she'd found some way to bring Marcus back.

Marcus. At the thought of him, Susan picked up her glass, swallowed her drink and slammed it back down on the table with loud thump. She reached for the bottle that was to her left and refilled her glass, swallowing the second drink down just as quickly.

Closing her eyes, she allowed the all too familiar feelings, that thinking of Marcus and what his sacrifice stirred up, wash over her. Anger, sadness, frustration…love. 

Love. How she wished for the umpteenth time that she had listened to her heart and just given him a chance. If truth be known, she had already been thinking of nudging their 'relationship' along once the war with Earth was over anyway. 

She'd stopped him in sleeping quarters of the White Star and told him that she knew what the so-called Minbari greeting he'd once spoken to her, really meant. Seeing how uncomfortable he'd looked, Susan knew that he was waiting to be told, in a very loud way, exactly what he could do with his compliment. 

It had hit her then, almost like a physical blow, just how much it would hurt him. The realisation stopped her for a second as she acknowledged to herself that she never wanted to see him hurt again, emotionally or otherwise. Close on the heels of that revelation was another, stronger one - she loved him. 

Looking him straight in the eye though, she lost her nerve to say anything more than a quiet thank you before walking off. The surprise in his voice as she overheard him say "you're welcome" in Minbari had made her smile. She'd decided then, that when they got back to Babylon 5 things were going to change between them. Little did she know that her decision would be too late.

Susan opened her eyes and forced back the unshed tears. She refused to cry again, it didn't solve anything. Slowly, she refilled her glass and took a sip. Drinking didn't solve anything either but at least it helped numb the pain.

She sat back in her seat and reflected over the last few months of her new command. The new ship was excellent and her crew were exceptional. Officially, it was a shake-down cruise. Unofficially, she'd been sent out to try to find and contact new races. She had welcomed the challenge and also used her orders as an excuse to hopefully find some sort of cure for Marcus' condition at the same time. They had searched hard but it was slow going and so far they'd only found two races that they'd previously had no knowledge of before. While this had pleased her superiors, it had offered little comfort for her own personal crusade as the aliens were about as advanced as the Pak'Ma'Ra.

For the first time since she'd started out on her mission, Susan began to doubt whether she'd ever find any information that would help achieve her personal goal. That thought made her even more depressed.

Taking another sip of her drink, she noticed an old man walking slowly towards her. Absently, she noted his appearance. He was short, wearing glasses and although shabbily dressed, he was clean. His hair was receding and the same steely-coloured grey as his beard. It took her a couple of seconds to realise that he had stopped at her table and was smiling gently at her. Not appreciating the company,

Susan glared back at him hoping he'd take the hint. 

The old man's smile widened. "Captain Susan Ivanova?" he questioned. His voice was soft with a British accent.

Susan raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Who wants to know?" she replied curtly.

The man grinned then. "Ah, you _must_ be Susan Ivanova. Marcus described you well."

Susan's mouth dropped open in shock and she felt her heart contract painfully at the mention of his name. "I beg your pardon?" she managed to choke out, her confusion evident. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've been very rude not introducing myself," he said contritely, holding out his hand to her. "My name is Duncan and I've come to tell you that have the means to bring Marcus back."

END PART ONE


	2. Chapter 2

PART 2

When Susan didn't take Duncan's proffered hand, he nodded his head in understanding and gestured to the chair opposite her. "May I?" he inquired. Susan nodded in mute assent. "Thank you."

He settled himself in the chair and looked at her kindly. "I fear my announcement has shocked you a little, Captain."

"You could say that," Susan replied, slowly. She looked at him suspiciously through narrowed eyes, trying to decide if either she was drunk or the man before her was insane. 

Duncan sighed, then took his glasses off to wearily rub the bridge of his nose. "You must forgive me, Captain, but I'm afraid I'm rather tired at the moment. I've been trying to catch up with you and your ship for the last couple of weeks. I found out you were going to dock here and got the first available transport. It wasn't the most comfortable or quiet of ships." 

He replaced his glasses and looked back up at her with another smile. "Perhaps it would be best if I started at the beginning." 

Susan continued to stare quietly at him and he took this as a good sign. 

"I first met Marcus when I lived on Babylon 5 a couple of years ago. I rented a little spot in Down Below and sold my meagre wares. It was all rubbish, but Marcus used to come by every day and buy something from me. It was his way of making sure I had some money to live on, he knew I wouldn't accept charity." As Duncan paused, he saw Susan smile. "He was a good man, Captain, and a good friend."

Susan nodded. "Yes, he was," she agreed quietly.

Duncan started to cough, his body shuddering as he tried to stop and catch his breath. Susan looked at him in concern and called the barman urgently for a glass of water. Once it arrived, she handed it to him and watched as he sipped the liquid, the coughing finally subsiding.

"Are you OK?" asked Susan.

Duncan waved a hand at her not to worry. "Yes, I'm fine. I've had this for a long while. In fact it was because of this, that I became involved with the Vindrizi," he replied, looking at her for a sign of recognition.

"Vindrizi?" repeated Susan with a frown. "Weren't they the all-knowing parasites that had to merge with 'hosts' to survive?" She vaguely remembered Stephen telling her that he had set up a program to help them as he'd been with Marcus when the truth had come out. 

She also recalled the rest of that conversation with much more clarity. Stephen had told her that Marcus wanted a second chance with her. She felt her stomach drop at that thought. She knew exactly how that felt now. She snapped back to reality when Duncan continued to speak.

"Marcus didn't believe they had good intentions until I proved it to him. He cared for and trusted me, you see and I'll always be grateful to him for that. When everyone else had given up on me, Marcus treated me like a person again. He didn't want me to leave Babylon 5 but I wanted so much to see all the wondrous things that the Vindrizi had shown me for myself." 

Duncan smiled at the memory then looked directly at her. "And that's why I'm here now. He was there for me and I wanted to do something for him in return. I heard what he did for you, Captain, and it wasn't a surprise. He loved you even back then, you know. He used to talk to me about you all the time."

Susan didn't know what to say as she digested this new information about Marcus' feelings for her. It made her realise just how blind she'd been. "I don't understand," she began. "What can you do to help him? He's dead." 

Duncan heard the hopelessness in her voice and shook his head. "I've been to places that you couldn't even dream about, Captain. The Vindrizi left me just enough memories to find these worlds and through that I have been able to bear witness to the most amazing sights." 

He rummaged about in his coat pockets, pulled out a data crystal and held it out to her. "This contains all the information needed to revive Marcus."

Susan looked at the crystal totally stunned. Minutes earlier she'd been starting to think that she'd never find anything and then suddenly all her dreams were being handed back to her in the form of one small piece of glass. She couldn't believe it was that easy, there had to be something else going on here. She wasn't about to get her hopes up to have them dashed by a person she'd never even met before.

Duncan saw the doubt on her face and placed the crystal on the table. "I understand your caution Captain, but please trust me. Marcus did."

Susan thought about what he'd said, then tentatively reached out and placed her hand over the crystal. "What's on it?"

"It's the formula for a serum that will restore his life."

"Where did you get it? How do I know this isn't a trick?"

Duncan slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid I made my friends a promise that I wouldn't reveal their identity."

"You can't honestly expect me to just believe everything you've said without even checking it out?" exclaimed Susan, getting angry. "Who are your friends? WHAT are your friends, that they have this technology?"

Duncan smiled again. "All I can say is that they not a race that you would know of, Captain." He leaned forward across the table and stared at her earnestly. "You must realise that I would never do anything to hurt Marcus, I merely want to help both you and him."

Susan looked back at the sincerity clearly showing on his face and suddenly something inside her decided to trust this old man before her. Not wanting to appear to give in too easily though, Susan proposed a compromise. "OK then, I want you to come back to my ship with me where I'll put in a call to Dr. Franklin on Babylon 5. If he confirms who you are, we'll talk," she told him in a tone that dared

him to refuse.

"Ah, yes, the good doctor. I remember him well," said Duncan, nodding his head. "I will go with you."

Susan gave a curt nod and stood up, pocketing the crystal. Duncan also got to his feet and she motioned him to move ahead of her. She followed him outside and they made their way to the shuttle that would take them back to her ship. 

Once back aboard, Susan immediately took Duncan to her quarters and went over to the communications unit. She punched a button and the face of her second in command appeared on a small screen in front of her. "Lewis, get me Babylon 5 and patch the signal through to this terminal only. It's personal."

"Yes sir," came the reply. "It'll take a couple of minutes."

After a brief acknowledgement, Susan punched another button and the screen went blank. 

Lewis set up the link and waited for contact with the station, wondering what the call was about. The Captain only ever received calls from Babylon 5, she never made them. The face of Corwin flashed on the screen before him, interrupting his pondering.

"Hey David," greeted Lewis. They'd known each other during training and were old friends.

"Hi Robert. How's it going?" replied Corwin, with a smile. "Still enjoying it?"

"Of course."

Corwin pulled a disbelieving face and Lewis sighed. "I've told you before David, I don't know what the Captain was like when she was there, but here she's fine. She's strict but quiet and just a little…." He paused slightly before adding with a shrug of his shoulders, "…sad." 

Corwin nodded in understanding and Lewis frowned. "Why don't you ever talk about what happened back there? It's not much of a secret anymore, you know. I've heard the rumours about the Ranger…"

"It's not my story to tell, Robert. Now, how can I help you?" Corwin answered, effectively ending the conversation.

Lewis grimaced slightly, but didn't push it. "The Captain wants to speak to someone there. I'll transfer you to her terminal."

Corwin nodded and took a deep breath, bracing himself to talk to his old superior again. He hadn't meant to be rude to Robert, it was just that he didn't feel right gossiping about Ivanova. He liked and respected her too much to do that.

Susan handed Duncan the cup of tea she'd made and stood looking at him as he sat on the couch, sipping it.

"How do you know this serum is going to work?" Susan asked the question quietly, fearing the answer. 

Duncan put his cup down and looked up at her. "You'd like some proof, is that it Captain?"

Susan nodded. Duncan stood up, stretched his arms out to each side and slowly turned around until he faced her again. "Well?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Susan frowned. "Well, what?"

Duncan took a step towards her and said, "I'm proof that the serum works, Captain. A month ago I was dead."

END PART 2


	3. Chapter 3

PART 3

After his startling admission, Susan just stared at Duncan in disbelief and he sighed. "Perhaps I should elaborate a little."

"Yes, I think you should," agreed Susan, finding her voice at last. She sat down and Duncan began.

"When I got word of what happened on the station, I searched out certain 'beings' the Vindrizi had left me memories of, to see if there was anything they could do. I told them of Marcus' sacrifice and by way of atonement they let me have the crystal. Some data had to be changed to take human biological differences into account and then to make sure it worked, I offered myself as the guinea pig." 

"What do you mean, atonement?" queried Susan, puzzled.

"It was their machine he used, Captain," he answered, quietly. "They felt they were to blame."

This little revelation succeeded in shocking Ivanova even more. "You found the aliens that made the healing device?"

"Yes. They are not unlike ourselves and yet so very different," he told her, musingly. "Very strange race."

Before she had a chance to demand to know who these 'beings' were, the comms unit beeped and a familiar face appeared on the screen.

Startled, she shook her head slightly and stood up, forcing a smile to her face. "Corwin, how are you?" 

"Fine Command......I mean, Captain Ivanova. And you?" he stammered back. He'd been surprised on hearing that Ivanova had placed the call and looking at her now, he still felt the same trepidation as he used to when dealing with her. 

"I'm fine too. Put me through to Dr. Franklin."

Corwin nodded and transferred her call to Medlab. Franklin's bent head appeared on screen. He was writing something down and didn't look up to see who was calling. "Medlab, what do you want?" He sounded tired and irritable.

Susan smiled. "Is that all the welcome I get now?" 

Franklin's head snapped up as he recognised her voice and a huge grin spread across his features. "Susan, it's good to hear from you! How are you?"

"I'm well, Stephen."

"I hope you're calling to tell me you're coming back to pay us a visit," he said, optimistically.

"Maybe."

"Well, that's a start at least," he said wryly.

Susan grinned. "I have some business to discuss first."

"Oh? What's up?" Stephen asked, his curiosity piqued.

Susan turned to Duncan and beckoned for him to come over to the screen. "I have someone here that you may remember."

Duncan looked into the screen. "Hello doctor, it's been a long time."

Franklin looked confused for a minute then he let out a gasp of surprise. "Vindrizi! Of course, you're Marcus' friend. David, Daniel..."

"Duncan," the man supplied.

"That's it....Duncan." Baffled, Franklin looked back at Ivanova and asked, "What's this all about, Susan?" 

Susan felt for the data crystal in her pocket and pulled it out to look at it. Suddenly she realised all her hopes. Her eyes misted over and she stared straight at Franklin, a beautiful smile lighting her face. "It's about being given a second chance, Stephen."

***********************************************************************************

Duncan arrived on Babylon 5 accompanied by a Ranger called Samuel. Ivanova had told Franklin about the crystal, the alien's and what Duncan had done. Franklin was dubious but Susan was so insistent that he had been forced to agree to help. Together they had arranged for the Rangers to provide a safe, quick passage to the station so that the revival process could be started immediately. Knowing what it was for, the Rangers readily agreed.

Susan had been frustrated at not being able to go with him herself, but after a heated argument with her superior, she had 'agreed' to complete the next part of her mission before taking leave and joining them on Babylon 5 in two weeks. 

Duncan had tried to soothe her by informing her that Marcus would need at least a week to convalesce after the process and, considering it would take Duncan himself a week to reach the station anyway, the timing would be perfect. Susan wasn't mollified and continued to rant and curse about her boss and the universe in general until Duncan had left. Remembering some of the language she'd used had kept Duncan amused on his trip back. It was good to see not all the fire Marcus used to talk about had gone out of her. 

They moved forward in the queue and Samuel handed their ID's to the security man on duty. When their names came up, the guard looked at them sharply before tapping his link, saying, "Chief, the people you were expecting are here."

"Be right there, Paul," came back Zack Allen's voice.

Paul motioned them to stand to the side while he dealt with the other passengers from the ship. 

In his office, Zack looked at the man opposite him. "So Chief. You coming?"

Michael Garibaldi shook his head and stood up. "No, I've already spoken to Stephen about this and he's going to let me know if it works. I think I'd better keep a low profile on this one. After all, if it wasn't for me, Marcus wouldn't have died." 

Zack shook his head, feeling sorry for the man who carried so much guilt around for actions he had no control over. "Chief, you can't honestly blame yourself for he did. I thought you'd talked about this with Captain Ivanova and straightened it all out. She doesn't blame you."

Garibaldi walked across the room, then paused at the doorway and turned back to his friend. "I have. And she doesn't anymore. But that was Susan. Now I have to face Marcus if he comes back. I hadn't expected this day to come but since it has, perhaps I can finally get some peace." Without another word he left the room.

Zack sighed and hoped that whatever the Captain and Doctor had planned would work. He left his office and went to Medlab. He told Franklin that Duncan had arrived and they quickly made their way to the docking area.

Upon entering, Stephen smiled at the old man and held out his hand. "Duncan, I'm glad you're finally here."

"So am I doctor, so am I," he replied, shaking Stephen's hand. Duncan turned and introduced the man standing quietly next to him. "This is Samuel. He made sure that my journey here was a safe one."

After Stephen, Zack and Samuel exchanged pleasantries, Duncan turned to Franklin expectantly. "Well doctor, should we get started?"

"Of course. First though, I want to give you thorough check up."

Duncan wasn't pleased but had expected this request and with a nod of his head followed the doctor to Medlab.

Franklin made arrangements for Marcus to be taken out of his cryo tube and placed in Isolab 1. While this was happening, he started his tests on Duncan. An hour later, the tests complete, Franklin looked at the old man sadly and sighed. 

"How long do you think I have left, doctor?" Duncan asked quietly.

"About two weeks, possibly a month," Franklin answered. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You knew about your condition when you offered yourself as a guinea pig to those aliens didn't you?"

"Yes," he replied, simply.

Franklin shrugged his shoulders and frowned. "But I don't get it. If you've been given life, how come it's so short?" His voice started to rise as a new thought hit him. "Is this a side effect you haven't told us about? Is Marcus only coming back for a short while? Because if he is......."

"Doctor, calm yourself," interrupted Duncan. "The only side effect of this serum is that it gives you back what life you would have had. I didn't have long. Marcus is still young, he will live a full life, I promise you."

Franklin regarded him for a minute, still not happy with attempting to revive Marcus with the same technology that had taken it from him. 

"Dr. Franklin, the body is ready now," said a young nurse as she walked up to him. "Do you need me for anything else?"

"Uh, no. No, thank you, that will be all. I'll handle things from here," he replied.

She nodded and walked away. He turned to Duncan. "OK, let's get this thing started, shall we?"

Franklin and Duncan walked into Isolab 1. There, laying on a bed was Marcus. Stephen stared down onto the peaceful face of his friend and then looked up at Duncan. "Do you have the crystal?" he asked quietly. 

Duncan nodded and held it out to him. 

"Good," said Stephen and reached out to take it from him. He paused before touching it, his expression hardening for a second. "I hope you know what you're doing Duncan, because if this goes wrong, it won't just be Ivanova you have to answer to."

"Don't worry, it will work," Duncan replied confidently, moving his hand nearer to Stephen.

Franklin hesitated a moment more before taking the crystal and heading over to one of the consoles. He was only going through with this because of Ivanova and the fact that he was no where near finding a solution himself. 

Duncan looked down at the man laying so still on the bed and said softly, "Time to wake up Marcus."

Half an hour later, Franklin held up a jar of clear liquid and looked unimpressed. "I can't see how this will work. I haven't put anything in there that's out of the ordinary and certainly not anything that would bring someone back to life."

Duncan walked over and took the jar from his hands, placing it down on the table. "That's because it needs just one more ingredient," he told him. Reaching up, Duncan removed a thin chain, with a pouch hanging on it, from around his neck.

"What's that?"

Duncan opened the pouch and pulled out a thin shard of what looked like blue glass. "The catalyst, doctor." 

He dropped it into the jar and the liquid immediately fizzed and changed to a luminous, bright blue colour. Turning to Franklin he said, "It is done. One syringe full should be given now and then again in an hour. Then, one half should be given each day after that for six days."

Franklin took the jar and looked at the liquid. "And you're sure there's no side effects?" he asked again, still not convinced.

"Positive."

With a deep breath, Franklin took out a syringe and filled it. "Ok, here we go then." 

They both went over to the body of the Ranger. The doctor hesitated slightly before placing the syringe against his friends neck and injecting the liquid.

"Now we wait one hour, doctor," instructed Duncan. He put a hand on the younger man's arm. "He will be fine."

One hour later they were back at the bedside ready to administer the next dose. The moment of truth was here. This second injection, Duncan had told him, would wake Marcus. Stephen filled the syringe again and placed it at Marcus' neck. He gave a wry smile when he noticed how his hands were shaking and then pushed the plunger down to inject the dose.

They waited. Time passed and nothing happened. Franklin glanced angrily over at Duncan. "I thought you said it would work."

"Patience, doctor, patience," came the soft reply. Duncan stared intently at the Ranger and suddenly saw the eyes flicker. He grabbed Franklin's arm, pointed at Marcus' face and practically shouted, "There, did you see that? He's alive!" 

END PART 3


	4. Chapter 4

PART 4

Susan was giving her crew a hard time. Lewis sighed in relief as he watched her leave the bridge after eight hours of what seemed to be constant yelling. She had told the entire crew, long and loud that the search of this sector was going to be the quickest in history. 

That it still had to be as thorough as all the rest of the searches they'd made though had caused a few problems. Problems that he'd had to deal with and when they weren't solved quickly enough, her wrath had been turned on him. Now, a week later, they'd finished and were heading back to the point where Ivanova would pick up her transport for Babylon 5. 

His comms unit beeped for attention. He pushed a button and the face of Corwin appeared on screen.

"Hi David," said Lewis wearily.

"Robert," acknowledged Corwin with a nod of his head. He frowned as he noticed his friends face. "Anything wrong? You look like you haven't slept in days," he commented.

Lewis quickly darted a look around the bridge to make sure Susan hadn't come back unnoticed. "I think your old Commander is back," he told him with a grimace.

"My old Commander?" Corwin repeated, looking puzzled. "What do you…….Ohhhhhh." Realisation dawned and he started chuckling. "So, tell me Robert. Still enjoying it?"

Lewis muttered something nasty under his breath, then asked curtly, "What can I do for you, David?"

Corwin stifled his laughter. "I have a message to relay to Captain Ivanova personally."

Lewis gave a grim smile. "Well, with the mood she was in when she left here, I just hope it's good news. Transferring you now." Before Corwin could say anything, Lewis pushed a button cutting the link. He looked heavenward and sent up a silent prayer, 'Please, please, PLEASE, let it be good news.'

***********************************************************************************

Images flooded into Marcus' head so fast, they caused him excruciating pain. His saw his life rapidly flash by. His happy times with his parents, his brothers death, his time on Minbar, Babylon 5 and finally Susan dying.

He tried desperately to control the overwhelming feelings that coursed through him at this sensory overload. And, somewhere, through all the pain, he recognised the urge to breathe. Forcing open his mouth, he drew in the much required air needed to fill his lungs. 

At Duncan's call, Stephen looked back at the bed just as Marcus drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "Oh my God," Franklin choked out. He hadn't really believed until this moment that it would work. Quickly grabbing his scanner, he ran it over Marcus' body. Life signs were present but very weak. 

Marcus drew in another shaky breath and slowly opened his eyes, narrowing them against the light.

Stephen leaned over and spoke to him quietly. "Marcus, can you hear me?"

The Ranger groaned and found his voice worked. "Yes, Stephen…….you don't have to…….shout," he whispered back.

Franklin smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"How's…..Susan?" Marcus asked, ignoring the doctor's question. He had to know what happened. Her image was the one out of all he'd witnessed that was still emblazoned in his brain.

"Don't worry, she's alive and just fine," the doctor assured him. "Now, tell me. How are you feeling?"

Marcus relaxed, knowing his love was alright. "Head….hurts…like hell. You didn't……let Susan……loose in here…..with my pike….did you?" he asked, with a ghost of a smile.

"No, not yet," replied Stephen and started to laugh. It was good to have his friend back. He felt a couple of tears roll down his face and looked up at Duncan who was in much the same state. He looked back down and asked, "Do you hurt anywhere else?"

Marcus didn't even answer as his head rolled to the side. Worriedly, Stephen checked his scanner again, the life signs showed improvement. He was just asleep. He hooked up an IV and inserted it into Marcus' hand. After one last quick check on his scanner, Franklin turned to Duncan and grabbed the old man's hand, shaking it vigorously. He grinned happily and said warmly, "Thank you."

***********************************************************************************

Susan was busily stuffing what clothing she needed for her trip, into a bag when the comms unit beeped. She pushed the button and Corwin's face appeared.

"Corwin, you have news for me?" she asked, urgently.

"Yes, Captain. Duncan has arrived safely and is with Dr. Franklin now," he informed her with a smile, noticing how she visibly relaxed.

"Good. And have you still managed to keep this quiet over there?"

"So far," he replied, then lowered his voice secretively. "Captain Lochley and Ambassador Delenn are both still off station and President Sheridan has been in meetings with different governments this week."

"Good," she said, again. "Well, my transport leaves an hour, so I'll see you in about a week."

"Yes, Captain. Babylon 5 out" With a nod of his head Corwin broke transmission and left Susan to her preparations.

She returned to her bag and finished packing. She still needed to have a shower and give Lewis last minute instructions. Now she knew Duncan was there, she was impatient to find out if his serum would work. She cursed her superior aloud again, wishing that she was on Babylon 5 herself to see what was happening. She should be there. It was her right, dammit.

Zipping up the bag, she carried it over to the door ready to leave. Then she had a quick shower and dressed in a clean uniform before making her way to the shuttle. Her second was waiting for her and she handed him a data crystal. "Here's the course you'll be taking for the next part of the mission. I have every confidence you'll do just fine."

Lewis beamed at her praise. "Thank you, Captain. I won't let you down."

"Good, because I'll personally see to it that you're relieved of some very vital organs if you muck this up or damage the ship in anyway. Do I make myself clear?" Susan asked with a cheerful smile on her face.

Lewis swallowed hard and his smiled faded. "Yes, sir."

"Right, well, I'll see you at Babylon 5 in three weeks then," said Susan, breezily. She nodded curtly and spun around entering the shuttle, the door swishing shut quietly behind her.

***********************************************************************************

Marcus awoke for the second time to the sound of someone next to him, coughing badly. He opened his eyes and noticed the IV to his right. He turned his head marginally the other way and took in the old man bent over in his seat.

"Duncan," he whispered, feeling surprised. What was he doing here? 

The old man hadn't heard Marcus over his coughing and now, as it subsided, he looked over at the Ranger and his eyes lit up. "Marcus, you are awake again. Let me call the doctor."

Before Marcus could respond, Duncan called for Franklin, who appeared quickly with scanner in hand. "Marcus, how are you feeling now?" he asked, staring at the data on the little machine.

"Head still hurting?"

"Not as much," Marcus replied, his voice getting stronger. 

"Good. Have you pain anywhere else?"

"Can't feel anywhere else," came the dry response.

Franklin frowned. He pinched Marcus' leg, but there was no reaction. He tried an arm. Same thing. He looked over to Duncan. "Is this normal?" he asked in concern.

"Yes, quite normal. Each dose of the serum he takes will give him more strength."

"What serum?" questioned Marcus. He looked at them both with a frown, a thousand questions on his lips. "What's happening? The last I remember is laying next to Susan and feeling tired. If she lived then what am I still doing here? And, saying that, what are you doing here, Duncan? I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Did we win the war? How are the Captain and Delenn? What about Lennier? And…."

"Marcus!" Stephen interrupted loudly, putting a hand to his forehead and shutting his eyes. "God, even though your body's not working, your mouth certainly is."

"Sorry, Stephen. I was only wondering out loud," the Ranger replied, in a small voice.

Franklin sighed and couldn't help his smile. "I know, I know. And I promise I will tell you everything. But it's past midnight and we all need to get some rest. So, can you please wait until morning?" he asked, wearily.

Marcus sighed dramatically, but closed his eyes. Franklin took Duncan's arm to lead him out of the room, then stopped with a grimace as he reached the door and heard Marcus say quietly, "And I also want to know where those fifty credits are that you owe me, Stephen." 

***********************************************************************************

Susan got off the shuttle and checked in for her transport. As she had a little time to kill, she went and found a place to get something to eat. After her meal, she checked the time - ten minutes to board her ship. She picked up her bag and walked out of the café. 

Seated at one of the other tables was a young woman with short black hair. She watched Ivanova leave and got up, following her out. As she walked a few feet behind the woman she was trailing, two men joined her. "Well?" queried the tall, blond one.

"I checked out what my source on Hydra told me and it seems she _is_ on her way to Babylon 5," the young woman replied.

"We'd better get tickets then," commented the other man. He was also tall, but older and balding.

The woman took three ID's from her pocket, passed one to each of the men and held onto the last. "No need, everything's been taken care of. There will no communication between us while on the transport. I'm going to stay close to her until we reach Babylon 5, then someone will contact us."

She reached out and kissed the younger man soundly on the lips. "I'll speak to you when we get to the station." At his nod, she boarded the ship with the two men following shortly after.

Ivanova sat down next to an elderly Minbari who seemed to be in deep meditation and impatiently watched the other passengers find their seats. She wanted to get on her way as quick as possible. A young, black haired woman approached and checked her ticket against the seat the other side of Susan, then sat down. She turned to Ivanova excitedly. "I can't believe I'm actually going to Babylon 5. It's

my first trip there. How about you?" 

"I've been before," Susan replied, coolly. The girls' perkiness grating on her already taut nerves.

"That's wonderful," the girl gushed, giggling slightly. "You _must _tell me all about it." She held out her hand. "I'm Jess, by the way."

"Susan." She shook her hand briefly.

"Well, Susan, I think we're going to be very good friends," Jess said brightly.

Ivanova grimaced slightly, then frowned as she thought she saw a flash of intense dislike directed at her, cross over the other girls face. The look was gone before she could comment and Jess resumed chatting. Dismissing it as just her being in a bad mood, Susan sighed and sat back in her seat, closing her eyes. Wishing the trip to end, she resigned herself to the fate of having Jess' incessant talking as a constant companion over the next week. 

END PART 4


	5. Chapter 5

PART 5

Marcus lay on his bed, alone in Isolab, quietly digesting all that Franklin had recently told him. Duncan was visiting old friends in Down Below and had told him that he would be back in a couple of hours.

The Ranger let out a sigh and tried to sort out his jumbled feelings. It appeared a lot had happened since his demise. He was pleased for Sheridan and Delenn, that much he knew for certain. He felt sorrow for his old friend Lennier and wondered where he was. Apparently no one had heard from him since he left. But Susan was a different matter altogether.

He'd been distressed when he'd heard how badly she'd taken his sacrifice. His only thought whilst carrying out the deed was that she would live, not about how it would affect her afterwards. And then, Franklin had shocked him more when he'd gone on to tell him about how she'd ordered the cryo and then used her promotion in an attempt to find a cure. 

That shock had quickly turned to happiness at the thought that Susan might actually care for him. Just as quickly though, his joy turned to sadness when he decided that he was wrong and it could only mean that she felt guilty. 

However, when he'd expressed his conclusion to Franklin, the doctor had angrily told him what a stupid person he was and that he'd better get that idea out of his head before the end of the week because Susan was coming back to Babylon 5 for the first time since it happened and the only thing that was bringing her there was the need to see _him_.

"I've been asking her to come back for a visit for eight months," Franklin had said, his voice raised. "So has Sheridan, even Delenn tried. But she stayed away because she didn't want to waste any of her duty time on leave." He paused, took a deep breath to calm down and added quietly, "Susan cares about you Marcus, probably more than any of us, including you, ever realised. These feelings haven't just appeared overnight because of what you did, they've always been there, she was just too afraid to commit."

The doctor stood up and stared down at Marcus. "You remember what that's like, right?" he asked pointedly before leaving the room.

Oh yes, Marcus remembered alright. How many times had he played games and hidden behind humour rather than tell Susan how he felt. Too many to count he acknowledged to himself.

Franklin's words echoed in his mind, "Susan cares about you, Marcus." A little flutter of hope rose in his chest and he started to smile, feeling suddenly happy. Now he was back, maybe he could change her caring to love.

***********************************************************************************

President John Sheridan strode along the corridor towards Medlab. He wasn't happy. He walked through the doors and a nurse looked at him in surprise. "President Sheridan, can I help you?" she asked.

"No," came the curt reply, as he started to walk about the room, looking around.

The nurse followed and tried again. "Are you looking for someone?"

Sheridan stopped suddenly by a window and his eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God. It _is_ true," he muttered to himself.

Before he could walk into the Isolab, Franklin came out of his office and stopped in surprise. "John!" he exclaimed and followed the older man's gaze through the window. "Uh, can I help you?"

Sheridan turned and gave Franklin an angry look. "Yes, you can Stephen. Let's talk in your office shall we?"

The doctor nodded and gestured for Sheridan to go in first. As soon as the door slid shut, Sheridan turned on Franklin angrily. "What the hell is going on here, Stephen? Why wasn't I told about this? I've been hearing rumours all over the station about Marcus being raised from the dead, that's not the way I should have found out."

"We were going to tell you, but we weren't sure it would work and…"

"We? Who's we?" Sheridan interrupted with a frown.

Franklin sighed. "Susan and I."

"Susan?" Sheridan repeated in surprise. "Ivanova?"

"Yeah. Look, sit down and I'll explain everything," the doctor assured him.

Fifteen minutes later, Sheridan knew the whole story and had calmed down enough to ask, "Have you told Marcus what he's missed yet?"

"Yes, I filled him in earlier," Franklin replied. "He had difficulty taking everything in, especially about Lennier and Susan, so I decided to leave him alone for a while to….adjust."

Sheridan nodded. "Well, believe me, I can understand exactly how he feels. Lennier shocked me too and as for Susan," he paused, a look of amazement on his face. "I never realised she felt that strongly about him. I thought she left because she felt guilty."

Franklin smiled. "Marcus thought the same but I set him straight on that score. Susan cares about him a lot."

Sheridan smiled back. "So it seems."

Franklin picked up a syringe and moved over to the door. "You want to come see him now? I've got to give him his next injection."

"Sure," he nodded and got up, following the doctor outside. He watched him half fill the syringe. "What's in that exactly?" he asked.

"To be honest, I don't know 'exactly'," replied Franklin. "I mixed up a few common alkali's and then Duncan added some sort of blue crystal. He won't tell me what it was and I've only enough fluid for the injections. Nothing left over to test, not even a drop, I already checked."

They entered the room and Marcus turned his head to look at them. "President Sheridan, how nice to see you again," he greeted with a surprised smile. "Congratulations on your marriage to Delenn and the news of your baby. You must be very happy."

"I am and thank you Marcus," he replied, grinning. "It's good to have you back with us."

"Well, only part of me is back at the moment. I'm hoping Stephen has the means to awaken the rest of me soon." 

Franklin was pleased to see Marcus was in a better mood and smirked, "On the contrary Marcus, I only have enough serum to bring back the top half of your body. And as your legs won't be able to carry you out of here, you're going to be condemned to your worst nightmare. A life in Medlab. Medlab gowns, Medlab beds, Medlab food….."

The Ranger groaned loudly. "No! Anything but the food, Stephen. How can you be so mean to someone in my incapacitated state. It's obvious you haven't had much chance to improve your bedside manner while I was gone. I'll have to remedy that when I'm back on my feet. I think two…no…make that three, good fights in Down Below should be enough to get you back up to speed."

Franklin sighed and turned to Sheridan, holding out the syringe. "You see how much is in this?" At Sheridan's nod, Franklin continued, "It took two _full_ syringes just to get his mouth working."

Sheridan laughed out loud at the sound of Marcus' wounded cry over the last remark, then held up his hands to stop the row developing. "As much as I'd love to stay and listen to this, I have my own argument to get back to with the Drazi over trade embargo's." He turned to go, then paused to give Marcus an evil grin. "I can't wait to tell Delenn the good news. Boy, are you going to get an earful when she comes back on station. She was 'not' happy about what you did and now she's pregnant and her hormones are all over the place, her temper even scares me."

Marcus swallowed hard. "Ah….yes….well, naturally I look forward to seeing her again," the Ranger stammered, nervously. He groaned inwardly, imagining the lecture he was going to get when En'Til'Zha turned up. Not to mention all the meditation and rituals he would have to endure to 'cleanse' him after his rebirth.

Sheridan chuckled, bade the two men goodbye and left.

Franklin stood over Marcus and held up the syringe. "OK, turn your head to the side for me."

Marcus obeyed and the doctor administered the dose into his neck, then pulled out the scanner from his pocket. "Feel anything yet?" he asked after a few moments of checking the readings.

"My arms are tingling."

"Can you move them?" queried Franklin. Marcus grimaced with the effort of trying to lift his right arm then shook his head. 

"Well, not to worry, give it some more time," the doctor advised. "I've got some reports to write up but if you get any pain or movement back then give me a call. I'll be in my office."

Franklin left Isolab and was almost at his office door when the sound of coughing caught his attention. Duncan had returned and was doubled over, leaning on a console, hacking uncontrollably. He rushed over and helped the man onto a bed.

"Thank you," Duncan finally managed to gasp out. "It seems to be worse today."

"You should get some rest," Franklin told him. "Going for long walks in Down Below isn't helping your condition."

"I had old friends to say goodbye to," the old man wheezed.

"I know," the doctor replied kindly. "But you should just lay here for a while now. Don't try to exert yourself anymore today."

Duncan shook his head and sat up. "No, I'm alright now. I want to sit and talk to Marcus while I still have time."

Franklin frowned but acquiesced and helped him to stand. "Have you told him yet?" he queried.

The old man shook his head again. "No. And I'm not going to."

"What?" Franklin exclaimed, incredulously. "He'd want to know Duncan, you should tell him."

"There's no need, doctor. Once you've given the last injection and I know he's well, I shall be leaving," he stated with a smile. "I don't see any reason for upsetting him unnecessarily."

Franklin raised his eyebrows dubiously. "Well, naturally it's your call but…."

"It's for the best," Duncan cut in firmly.

Franklin nodded and stood back to let the old man enter Isolab. He watched him sit down and start talking. The two men laughed and the doctor turned away to go into his office and make a start on his reports.

***********************************************************************************

The week passed and Marcus gradually gained the use of all his limbs. The day before Susan's arrival, Franklin allowed him to get up for the first time. He was shaky but relieved to know that he could walk, albeit slowly. His muscles still needed time to strengthen. He hardly slept that night and as soon as it was a reasonable time, 06.00hrs, he was on the comms unit asking Corwin if Susan's ship was on

schedule.

On the transport Ivanova heaved a sigh of relief as the transport finally docked at Babylon 5 three hours past it's scheduled arrival time. It had been a long week. The communications console had not been working and her link had been accidentally broken by Jess who had managed to somehow knock it off of Susan's hand and then tread on it. So, she had had no way to find out how things had gone.

Susan grabbed her bags and made her way to the exit to wait impatiently for the doors to open. 

"We're actually here at last," came an excited voice from next to her. 

Susan subdued her groan of annoyance and told herself once again that Jess was only young. She turned and gave the woman a vague smile before replying, "Well, I hope you enjoy your stay. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Oh, I hope so, Susan. It's been fun," she enthused.

"Yeah," replied Ivanova dryly. There was a loud clunking noise and then the exit doors opened. She quickly said goodbye before striding away, fervently hoping that she wouldn't see the woman or have to listen to her constant jabbering ever again.

Susan handed over her ID and once cleared, walked through onto the main part of the station. She stopped for a moment and looked around just letting the memories wash over her.

"The old place never changes," stated a deep voice from behind her, causing her to jump and turn in surprise.

"It's been a long time, Mr. President," she said, formally.

"Yes, it has, Captain," he replied with equal formality. Then he grinned and held his arms open to give her a hug. "You look well, Susan. How was your trip?" he asked, warmly.

"Fine," she replied, returning his hug. "It just took too long."

He stared at her, nodding in understanding and when they broke apart, he motioned for one of the security guards to take her bags. They started to walk along the corridor. "He'll put them in your quarters while we go to Medlab. I assume you 'do' want to go there first," he queried, chuckling.

"It….it worked then?" she asked, hesitantly. "Marcus is….back?"

Sheridan reached out and squeezed her hand. "Yes, he's back, Susan," he confirmed. "And giving Stephen a hell of a time as usual."

**************

Jess watched Sheridan and Ivanova's reunion from across the hall and was joined by her two accomplices. She turned to the older man. "Paul, you follow the security guard. He's probably going to her quarters. Once you know where they are, wait for Adam and me in a place called the Zocalo. We'll find you."

Paul nodded and walked away, then Jess turned to the younger man. "We've got to go to a bar in Down Below called The Star. Our contact will be waiting for us," she informed him as they walked off in the opposite direction.

*************

On their way to Medlab, Susan was quiet as she half listened to Sheridan telling her about the Drazi trade problem and the latest news from Delenn. They reached the corridor that led to the medical facility and she suddenly came to a dead stop. Sheridan had walked on a couple of paces before he realised she wasn't with him.

He turned and walked back, then gently took hold of her arms. "Hey, are you OK?" he asked, concern clear on his face.

She nodded. "I…I think so. It's just….suddenly hit me that Marcus is alive," she admitted, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. "A thousand different feelings just slammed into me and took me by surprise, that's all."

Sheridan smiled comfortingly. "It's OK to be scared, Susan. I know I was when I told Delenn how I felt about her." 

Surprised at Sheridan's perception, Ivanova's eyes widened as she looked back at her friend. 

"Come on," he coaxed, dropping his hands from her shoulders and standing aside. "The poor guy has been counting the minutes until you arrived. I dread to think what chaos he's causing in Medlab. He must know you've docked by now, he's been plaguing Corwin by checking the transport schedules all day."

Susan couldn't help but smile, that sounded so like him. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Alright, let's go," she said, walking determinedly towards Medlab with Sheridan close behind. She walked in and looked around, her heart contracting and her breath catching in her throat as she saw Marcus with his back to her, bent over the comms console talking to what looked like a very

exasperated Corwin. Love flooded through her, warming every part of her body.

Franklin and Duncan were standing behind him and looked up at her entrance, a smile lighting both their faces. Susan put a finger to her mouth in a gesture of silence and they both nodded.

She took a couple of steps forward, listening to his conversation. "You're sure the ship has docked?" he was asking.

"Yes, Marcus. It came in half an hour ago," Corwin replied wearily.

"And Susan was definitely on it?" Marcus questioned.

"Yes, as I've already told you three times, security have her logged as on station," Corwin said, his tone indicating that his patience was wearing thin. "C and C out." 

The screen went blank and Marcus let out a heavy sigh. "I don't think she's coming, Stephen," he said miserably. "I suppose I…." 

He turned around and whatever he'd intended to say died on his lips as he saw Ivanova standing there. His mouth went dry as he drank in her appearance, his heart flip-flopping crazily, he stammered, "S..S..Su.." 

"Susan," she supplied for him softly.

"Susan," he whispered back. Marcus took a step forward and stopped as he was suddenly assailed with doubts. What if Stephen was wrong and Susan didn't care for him. What if it 'was' just guilt. What if she just said, "Thanks for saving my life Marcus. Now I've done the same for you we don't have to see each other ever again." He looked down unsure of how to greet her. Should he shake hands, hug her….kiss her?

A couple of seconds later, Ivanova made up his mind for him when she walked over and flung her arms around him in a tight embrace, her face turned into his neck as she whispered, "I've missed you so much, Marcus."

"Oh Susan, I'm so glad you're here," he whispered back as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against hers, closing his eyes. When he opened them, they were watery and he looked over her shoulder at the three men who were standing quietly and witnessing the whole scene with huge grins plastered all over their faces.

He smiled at them and after a wink from Sheridan, a nod from Duncan and a thumbs up from Franklin they turned and left them on their own.

***********************************************************************************

Jess and Adam left the bar and walked along a dingy corridor heading towards the Zocalo.

"What did he give you?" Adam asked her curiously. 

Jess opened up the package the contact had passed her and pulled out a flimsy piece of mesh. She held it up for him to see.

"What's that?" he queried, puzzled.

"A changeling net," she replied, smiling nastily. 

Adam frowned as he recognised the name, "Aren't they dangerous?"

"Yes. But I won't be wearing it that long. I just need to get to Ivanova and then our mission will be easy."

"But what about the real Ivanova? You can't have her running around at the same time," Adam pointed out.

"I know," Jess replied dismissively and left him standing there in shock as she walked off saying, "That's why you and Paul will have to kill her."

END PART 5


	6. Chapter 6

PART 6

Adam raced after Jess and grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him. "You never said anything about killing Ivanova when I agreed to do this," he ground out, angrily.

"We've come here to do a job," she retorted. "She'll be in the way and have to be terminated."

"I will not kill another human," he told her, adamantly.

Jess angrily shook off his hand then, without warning, pulled out a knife and held it to his throat. "You'll do as I say or I'll kill you too," she warned, vehemently. 

"B…b..but, I thought you said you loved me," he whispered in shock. "You couldn't kill me if you feel like that."

Jess snorted derisively, "I've told lots of men that I love them. It's just a means to an end." She flicked a contemptuous over him. "So what's it to be, are you in?"

He swallowed and nodded, then felt the cold steel press against his neck momentarily before being taken away. Jess smiled cruelly, then kissed him slowly on the lips before turning and sauntering off. 

As Jess turned her back on him, Adam closed his eyes feeling sick to the stomach and roughly wiped his hand along his mouth to try and get rid of the taste of her, before following slowly. Whatever Jess threatened to do to him, Adam vowed to himself that he'd make sure that Ivanova wouldn't die.

***********************************************************************************

Michael Garibaldi strolled through the Zocalo looking uninterestedly at the wares that were for sale from the various colourful stalls and shops. He came to a small café and sat down intending to have a drink.

While waiting to place his order, he glanced around at the never-ending throng of aliens and humans that were going about their business. His gazed suddenly stopped and narrowed as he spied a man standing next to one of the exit's opposite to were he sat. 

He was tall and balding and Garibaldi recognised from somewhere. But where? He pursed his lips in concentration, trying to recall the man's name but nothing was forthcoming. He was about to look away when he noticed a young woman with short black hair approach the man by the exit. She was accompanied by a young man and they were all soon in deep conversation.

Uneasiness crept through him until the hairs on the back of his neck started to stand on end. Something was up. All his instincts screamed at him and he tapped his link.

"Zack Allen," came the voice.

"Zack, do me a favour will you?"

"Sure Chief, what's up?"

"Put a security camera to cover the exit opposite Jake's and record it."

"Opposite Jake's? No problem." In the office Zack pressed the appropriate buttons and leaned back in his chair looking at the trio on the screen. "Who are they?" he asked.

"Don't know," was the dry response. "I've just got a feeling. It's probably nothing. I recognise the older guy but can't remember his name."

"OK, I'll run a check on the computer. You coming over to see want it brings up?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in ten. Garibaldi out." 

Michael got up slowly, his eyes never leaving the trio. Just as he took a step to leave, the balding man looked over and met his gaze. Garibaldi noticed the look of shock that appeared on the man's features which was quickly replaced by a dark flush that rose to encompass his entire face as anger started to set in.

The woman touched the other man's arm for attention. He looked back at her and said something which had all three of them turning to stare at Garibaldi. The woman's face was openly hostile, while the younger man looked strained. Michael dropped his eyes and walked away. When he glanced back, the three had gone.

***********************************************************************************

Marcus watched the Medlab door close with a smile. There were a few other staff left in the large room but they knew to make themselves as invisible as possible at Franklin's nod before he left. 

The Ranger pulled back to look at Susan. She glanced up at his face, then looked over her shoulder self-consciously, only to turn back in surprise, her eyebrows raised in silent question 

"They left a couple of seconds ago," he supplied. "My guess is, they were sick and tired of listening to me chatter all week and decided you could take the brunt of it for a while."

Susan gave a small smile, then took a step back to put some distance between them. Now she was here with him, she couldn't seem to say anything. Her hug for him had been spontaneous, but now over with, she felt awkward and uncomfortable. It was a feeling she'd never experienced in the Ranger's company before and it set her back a little. "I, uh......oh Marcus, there's so much I have to say to you but I just can't seem to get the words out," she revealed, with a nervous laugh.

"How about I start then?" he queried, softly. At her nod, he continued, "Stephen told me how upset you were after my……well, you know. And I just want to say that I'm very sorry my actions caused you pain, Susan. It was never my intention. You have to understand that I just couldn't let you die, not when there was something that I could do to prevent it. Can you ever forgive me?"

Susan saw the pleading and contrition in his eyes, as well as the fear of what her answer might be. She nodded slowly and he let out an audible sigh of relief. "Thank you." He smiled and bowed his head in her direction. "Your turn?" he queried.

Susan swallowed and took a couple of steps to stand in front of him. She gazed into his wonderful green eyes for the longest time, then reached up and gently caressed his cheek. Her need to confirm he was real was overwhelming and suddenly she found the words were easy. "God, I can't believe you're actually standing in front of me again," she whispered in awe. Her voice shook as she continued, "I

was so worried that the serum wouldn't work and I'd lose you forever." 

Marcus' mouth dropped open at her admission. "Really?" he questioned in a shocked, disbelieving tone. This was the last thing that he'd expected her to say.

"Really," she insisted. Tears started to well up in her eyes and not wanting him to see them, she wrapped her arms around him again, burying her face into his shoulder. 

Puzzled, Marcus tried to lift her head to look at her but she resisted, just nuzzling further into his neck and holding him closer. Moments later, he was shaken to hear a couple of muffled sniffles. Without hesitation, he removed his right hand from her waist and rested it on the back of her head. Gently, he began to stroke her hair, his hold on her tightening when he heard the sniffles turn to harsh, racking sobs.

Eventually, her crying subsided and she moved out of his embrace, turning her back to him as she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. All the way here, I promised myself I wouldn't do that and now look at me, I must be a mess."

Marcus took Susan by the shoulders, turned her around and cupped her chin, gently lifting her bent head. He smiled tenderly as he studied her face. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, her nose was red and her eyes were puffy. "You are," he confirmed. His amusement turned to sincerity as he added, "And 'still' the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

Ivanova smiled tremulously at his softly spoken words. "Thank you."

He stared at her intently. She was so close, her eyes inviting, lips parted, all he had to do was lean forward and….. 

The kiss was quick, his lips leaving hers before she barely had time to register what he'd done. Susan looked at him and realised he was trying to gauge her reaction. Whatever it was he thought he saw in her face however, couldn't have been good, because he suddenly appeared contrite, his mouth opening as though preparing to apologise.

Not wanting to hear it, she placed a finger over his mouth to silence him and smiled. His eyes widened in surprise and then closed involuntarily when she replaced her finger with her mouth.

Her lips moved over his coaxingly, demanding a response. He gave it willingly, moving his hands until they were cupping her face and tilting his head slightly to deepen the kiss. Her arms crept around his waist, urging him closer, as she opened her mouth in reply to the insistent brushing of his tongue against her lips. At her acquiescence, Marcus groaned and pushed one hand into her hair, the other

shifting across her shoulders, crushing her to him. 

Susan felt a thrill of hot desire course through her body as his tongue sought out her own, drawing it forth into a slow, sensual, intimate battle. She strained against him, her body tightening in reaction as she felt the extent of his obvious arousal. Suddenly, he tore his lips from hers and she let out a moan of protest as he none too gently put her away from him.

"What's the matter?" she asked a little breathlessly, dragging open her eyes.

"I don't feel too good," he gasped, putting a hand to his head and swaying, perspiration showing clearly on his brow.

Susan looked at his ashen face in alarm. "Get on the bed," she ordered, helping him over. He lay down gratefully and shut his eyes, swallowing hard. 

"Someone get Dr. Franklin now!" Susan yelled at the staff she knew were loitering somewhere within Medlab.

She looked back down at Marcus and saw he'd turned a deathly white. For a terrified minute she thought he was dead but then she saw his closed eyes flutter and realised that he was unconscious. Gently, she took his hand and felt the tremors that were starting to rack his body. With a worried frown, she laid her hand on his forehead. He didn't feel cold, but she called out for a thermo blanket anyway.

A nurse hurriedly brought one over and informed Susan that Franklin would be back any minute. Ivanova nodded mutely and gripped Marcus' hand tighter. Staring down at the man she loved so much, she silently prayed that Stephen would be quick because she wasn't going the lose Marcus a second time.

END PART 6


	7. Chapter 7

PART 7

"Shock and exhaustion," announced Franklin after checking over Marcus, who was now sleeping peacefully due to a mild tranquilliser shot. He turned to Ivanova and noting the relief that flooded her face, he smiled and raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "Just what did you do to him, Susan?" he asked dryly.

"Me?!" she exclaimed, trying desperately to control the blush she knew was creeping up her cheeks. "What makes you think I did anything?"

"Well, you were the only one left with him," Franklin pointed out reasonably. "Now, I can blame his exhaustion on the fact that he's just come back from the dead, but the shock had to come from another source."

Susan looked back at the doctor's expectant, grinning face and sorely wanted to break something. She wasn't in the mood for this at the moment as she was still trying to gain some semblance of control over her battered emotions. "Well, it wasn't me," she denied hotly. "We were just……talking." 

Franklin picked up on the hesitation but before he could respond, the MedLab doors opened and Sheridan walked in. He glanced at Susan's annoyed face and Franklin's amused one before dropping his concerned gaze to the man laying on the bed. "I heard Marcus had some sort of relapse. Is he going to be OK?"

"He'll be fine," Franklin assured him. "He's just suffering from exhaustion and shock."

"Shock?" repeated Sheridan in surprise. "But what could have brought that on?" Suddenly, he turned to Ivanova and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Alright Susan, what did you do to him?"

Ivanova's mouth dropped open and in her anger she couldn't get any words out. 

"Uh, they were just….'talking' John," Franklin supplied with a wink and knowing smile directed at Sheridan.

The President's eyebrows lifted and a wide grin broke out over his face. "Ohhhhhh, 'talking', huh? Must have been quite a….conversation to make him pass out like that."

"Oh, I've had enough of this!" Susan finally burst out furiously. Straightening her uniform, she said haughtily, "I'm going to my quarters to freshen up."

She glanced at Franklin. "You'll let me know when Marcus wakes up won't you?" It was more of an order than a question and the doctor nodded. 

Shooting them both a look that used to be reserved for the crew in C and C when they done something very wrong, she turned on her heel and strode quickly out of the room, gritting her teeth as she heard the sound of their laughter follow her out.

***********************************************************************************

"Ok, what have you got for me?" Garibaldi asked Zack as he walked into the younger man's office.

Zack looked up with a grimace. "Something that you're not going to like, Chief. I've got names for the two men but not the woman." He pressed a button and the monitor displayed a picture of the young man Garibaldi had seen earlier. "This is Adam King. He lost his parents and two elder sister's in the Minbari war and has been drifting from place to place ever since. He doesn't have any convictions against him at all." Zack pushed another button and the picture changed to the balding man. "That's Paul Carrington, present address unknown. Ex Earth Force, he was dishonourably discharged and jailed for…"

"Torturing and killing persons from alien races…notably Minbari," quoted Garibaldi flatly, finishing Zack's sentence for him as the name brought memories flooding back. "I know. I turned him in."

"Sounds like a nice guy," commented Zack, sarcastically.

"Yeah, real stand-up citizen." Garibaldi shook his head in disgust. "I saw pictures of what he did to them. It was nasty. Old, young, some of them were kids for God's sake. He blamed the Earth-Minbari war, but I think he's an out and out psycho. He should have been mind wiped but for some reason they decided to jail him." He paused and looked back to the screen. "How the hell did he get out? He

should have rotted away in a cell somewhere by now."

Zack sighed and pushed a few more buttons. "That's the bit you're not going to like. Says here that he was released and pardoned during our war with Clark. In fact, he was one out of a group of twenty prisoners released at the same time. All ex Earth Force, all convicted of similar crimes and all recruited back in."

"Recruited back in? As what?" demanded Garibaldi.

"Prisoner of war interrogators."

***********************************************************************************

Jess sauntered through the market in Down Below with Adam beside her and Paul lagging behind bemoaning his misfortune. "I'm telling you he recognised me, Jess." 

Uttering an expletive at his whining, the woman spun around and raked a scornful look over the man behind her. "So what?" she snapped. "You've done nothing wrong. They haven't got a thing on you - you've been pardoned."

"This could be trouble," he continued, unhappily. "Michael Garibaldi will be watching everything I do from now on. We'd better abort the..."

"No!" Jess cut him off harshly. "That isn't an option. If Garibaldi gets in the way, we'll deal with him the same way as Ivanova."

She turned to Adam. "Did you get the poison?" He nodded. "Good, then it's all set. We take Ivanova out tonight."

With that, she walked off and left the two men to look nervously at each other before following.

From behind one of the market stalls nearby, Duncan stood up and stared worriedly after them. He straightened the glasses on his nose and bid the trader he had been talking with goodbye. He'd barely walked four steps when his breathing became harsh and laboured. He stopped to try and catch his breath and then was assailed by a bad coughing fit. 

Desperately, he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't be ill now - he had to get to Marcus and tell him what he'd overheard. Pain ripped through his body and he reached out to grab a person walking by. "Help me," he gasped. The stranger roughly pushed him away and an ever darkening blackness overtook him as he fell to the floor. 

***********************************************************************************

Susan let herself into her quarters with a sigh of relief. Her temper still hadn't abated, in fact it had been fanned further when she'd realised that she didn't know which room she'd been assigned and had had to go back and ask Sheridan.

His barely concealed laughter at her red faced, stiff-lipped enquiry had almost been too much to bear. She'd get him back eventually she promised herself and it'd be slow and painful. 

She picked up her case and unpacked. Moving to the bathroom, she stripped off and had a quick shower, pleased that she'd been allocated one of the better rooms that actually had water. She almost forgave Sheridan as she succumbed to the warm wetness. Almost.

Once she'd finished and had dressed in a pair of black trousers and a deep blue jumper, she made herself a cup of caf and sat down on the couch. Feeling more relaxed than she had in years, Susan placed her cup on the table in front of her and leaned back against the settee, letting her eyes slowly close. 

A metallic sounding voice awoke Susan with a start. "Incoming message from Dr. Stephen Franklin." She looked around the room, her eyes blinking rapidly to remove the last vestiges of sleep wondering how long she had lain there. She stood up and stretched. 

"Accept message," she said on a yawn.

The doctor's smiling face appeared on screen. "Susan, Marcus is awake now if you want to come down. He's a lot better for that sleep."

"Thanks Stephen, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

Franklin nodded and was preparing to go when Susan stopped him. "Wait Stephen, is he well enough to walk to the Zocalo and get something to eat?"

The doctor considered her question before answering, "Well, if you take it slowly, I don't think there'll be a problem."

"Good. Find him something to wear then could you?"

"Sure, I'll let him know you're on your way. Franklin out."

Ivanova quickly ran a brush through her hair and applied a little make-up before leaving her quarters. On the way she stopped at the security office to get a new link.

"I don't have any spare at the moment Captain," Zack informed her apologetically. "But I'll take your details and let you know when I get one in. It shouldn't take too long."

He placed a small electronic box over her hand and scanned it. "DNA formation acknowledged. Captain Susan Ivanova. Data stored," the computer advised.

"There we are. I'll be in touch Captain." Zack removed the box and sat down. Realising Ivanova was still standing there, he looked back up. "Sorry, was there anything else?"

"Yes actually. I was just wondering if Michael was on station?" 

"The Chief? Yeah, sure he is. Do you want me to call him?"

Ivanova shook her head. "No, it's alright. I'll try contacting him tomorrow if I don't see him around tonight." 

Frowning slightly, she left the office and carried on her way to MedLab. She was a little upset to find that Michael was aboard and yet hadn't tried to contact her. She thought they'd straightened things out although she knew they'd never be as close friends as they once were. 

Reaching MedLab, she determinedly put thoughts of Garibaldi out of her mind and entered unnoticed by Marcus and Franklin who were having a heated discussion. Actually it was Marcus who appeared to be heated, Ivanova noted absently, Franklin just had an air of resigned tolerance about him.

"But Stephen, surely you must have 'something' that's a bit more me?" Marcus was pleading. "These are so…..so constricting!" He gestured to the jeans that fitted him 'slightly' more snugly than he would have liked.

"You look fine."

"I look stupid," muttered the Ranger, unhappily. He fidgeted with the tight waistband of the trousers and grimaced. "And I won't be able to eat a thing."

"Good, because you shouldn't be overloading your stomach at this stage in your recovery anyway."

"I won't be even 'marginally' loading it in these things," came the retort.

"Oh, come on, they're not 'that' bad," sighed Franklin, then he shrugged and added, "Besides, it's either those or your MedLab gown." 

"What a choice," Marcus replied sarcastically. "I swear you're still getting me back for Mars, Stephen. I mean, what's Susan going to think when she sees me in these?"

"She's going to think, why don't you wear that sort of thing more often," came an amused voice.

Both men jumped and turned around to see Ivanova leaning against the wall. She pushed herself away and started walking towards them, slowly looking Marcus up and down, a smile curving her lips. Franklin laughed and the Ranger groaned, shifting uncomfortably under her scrutiny. 

"Are you ready?" she asked, once she was level with him. Red faced he could only nod in response. "Let's go then." She took his hand and they left MedLab. 

Once out in the corridor, Marcus recovered some of his good humour. "I've never had a woman pick me up for a date before," he said with a smile. "I like it. Will you be doing this all the time?"

Susan returned his smile, then made show of looking at his rear. "Keep wearing these jeans and you've got a deal."

Before he could answer, they heard a woman's voice ring out ahead of them. "Susan! Susan!" it chirped. Ivanova groaned and looked for somewhere to hide.

"Who's that?" Marcus wanted to know as a black haired woman approached them, followed by two men.

"Just someone I met on the trip over here. She drove me nuts," Susan told him in a low voice before plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Jess, good to see you again," Ivanova greeted the other woman stiffly.

"And you," Jess replied warmly. Her dark brown eyes drifted to Marcus and gleamed with approval as she unabashedly looked him up and down before holding out her hand to him. "My name's Jess, Mr….?"

"Just Marcus," he replied, shaking her hand briefly. He went to pull away but Jess held on a moment longer than necessary and leaned in to him intimately.

"Pleased to meet you," she practically purred before relinquishing her hold.

Ivanova felt jealousy hit every single nerve in her body. If Jess hadn't let go of Marcus' hand when she did, Susan swore she would have ripped the woman's arm off. As if Marcus sensed what Susan was feeling, he put his arm around her waist and drew her to him, smiling back at the other woman. 

He'd been a little taken aback himself at Jess' blatant come on and he saw that not only Susan was annoyed by it. The young man standing behind Jess wore the same dark look as Ivanova. Deciding to diffuse the situation, he replied pleasantly "And you. But I'm afraid we can't stop and talk right now as we have a dinner reservation. Please excuse us."

With a quick nod goodbye, he steered Susan away from the small group and off down the corridor.

Jess watched them until they went around the corner then turned to Adam and Paul. "I'm going to get the changeling net. I'll meet you at Ivanova's quarter's in an hour, that'll give us plenty of time to prepare for her return. Oh, and if Marcus should return with her tonight - I want him alive."

The two men nodded and she walked away.

***********************************************************************************

Ivanova was still fuming by the time she and Marcus entered the Zocalo. The Ranger listened to Susan cursing Jess with amusement. He knew better than to say anything until she'd calmed down.

They had just decided upon which café to eat in when Sheridan approached them grinning broadly. "Susan," he greeted, then turned to the man by her side. "Marcus good to see you up and about again. How are you feeling?"

"Much better thank you."

"Good, good. Delenn just sent word that she will be back tomorrow morning. I haven't said anything to her about you yet, I thought it'd be better if I told her face to face. I'll call you when she gets in, she'll want to see you."

"I'll still be in MedLab," replied Marcus. "Stephen hasn't discharged me yet, I'm sort of having time off for good behaviour tonight."

"Fine, I'll bring Delenn along sometime tomorrow then," chuckled Sheridan and then bade them both goodbye.

Once the President had departed, they went into the café and sat down at a quiet table. They had just picked up their menu's when a shadow fell over the table causing them to look up and into the worried face of the Security Chief.

"Sorry to disturb you," apologised Zack, "but Dr. Franklin needs you to come to MedLab right away, Marcus."

"What's wrong?" demanded the ranger, standing up.

"It's Duncan, he collapsed in Down Below."

***********************************************************************************

"Is he going to be alright, Stephen?" Marcus asked, worriedly taking in the old man's pallor and laboured breathing. 

Ignoring his question, the doctor moved the Ranger away from the bed and yelled out for an assistant to come over. Franklin ran a scanner over the prone figure on the bed and quickly read the results.

"Will he be alright?" Marcus repeated, putting a hand on the doctor's arm for attention. 

Franklin sighed heavily. The readings weren't good. "I'm sorry, Marcus," he said, sombrely. "I'll try to make him as comfortable as possible."

"What?" the other man choked out. "Are you telling me he's dying? But he can't be. What's the matter with him?"

"He has pulmonary fibrosis." At the Ranger's puzzled look, Franklin elaborated, "Lung disease. My guess is it started when he lived in Down Below a couple of years ago. Even if I'd been able to treat him early on, he still would've had four years at best. It's a progressive disease with no cure." He paused and put a hand on Marcus' shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "There's nothing more I can

do for him." 

"No," the Ranger denied. He looked pleadingly at Franklin. "There must be 'something'." 

The doctor shook his head sadly and looked away. Getting back to the task in hand, he and his assistant worked methodically on Duncan, administering drugs that would ease the pain and to make breathing a little easier they gave him an oxygen mask.

All the while Marcus just stood and watched. Susan came up and took hold of his hand, squeezing it gently, standing quietly next to him, letting him know she was there. 

Eventually, Franklin stood back and gestured for them to come over. "You can sit with him if you like. I don't know if he'll regain consciousness, it's just a matter of time now." He gave them a brief, compassionate smile and walked away.

That had been a little over three hours ago and Duncan's condition hadn't changed. Marcus and Susan sat quietly at his bedside still hand in hand. Marcus turned his head just in time to see Susan stifle another yawn.

"That's that sixth time. You should go back to your quarters and get some rest," he advised softly.

She shook her head. "No, I want to stay here with you."

He smiled tenderly. "Thank you, but I'd rather you got some rest. I'll call you if there's any change. Please," he urged, when he saw her about to protest. He reached out and laid his hand against the side of her face before adding, "For me."

Susan moved her hand up to rest over his and, not wanting to start a row, she nodded. "I'll set the alarm and be back in a couple of hours," she said, standing and leaning over to kiss him gently on the cheek. Then, with a small smile and a final squeeze of his hand she left.

The door to her quarters opened with a swish and she stepped over the threshold. "Lights," she called out wearily.

As the room lightened, she noticed something move and then the breath was knocked out of her as she was suddenly grabbed roughly from behind. Struggling with all her might, she managed to elbow one of her assailants in the stomach and heard him grunt in pain but his hold on her stayed firm.

A flash of fear ran through her as she was pulled to the floor and the faces of Adam and Paul appeared in her line of sight. "What the hell is going on?" she raged, still trying to get free. Paul moved, straddling her and holding her down, while Adam produced a syringe and injected a clear liquid into her left arm. "What was that?" she cried, as a numbness began to overcome her body.

Her struggling ceased and the men stood back allowing Jess, who had waiting for them to finish, to walk over. "Hello Susan," she said taking hold of Ivanova's hands. "Don't fight the poison, it'll only hurt."

Ivanova couldn't speak. Everything around her was becoming blurred, her breathing was harsh in her own ears and she could feel the thud of heart slowing. She knew she was dying and all she could think of was the fact that she'd never have the chance to tell Marcus how she felt. 

Conjuring up his face in her mind, she summoned the last of her strength to call out to him mentally using all the limited telepathic power she possessed. Marcus, I love you

Her eyes felt heavy and she tried to focus on Jess, who was laughing nastily. Only it didn't look like Jess anymore Susan realised hazily and the last thing she saw before a peaceful darkness enveloped her was her own face saying, "I'm going to enjoy being you, Susan."

END PART 7


	8. Chapter 8

PART 8

Marcus ran as fast as he could. He knew he had to reach Susan but, every time he turned a corner there was yet another long corridor to go down. Desperation made him run faster, perspiration broke out on his forehead and ran down his face. He brushed the drops away from his eyes and turned another corner. He stopped. Susan lay on the ground in front of him, motionless.

With a small cry he ran forward and fell to his knees beside her then pulled her body into his arms. "Susan, wake up," he implored. When he got no response, he shook her body slightly. "Susan…please," he begged in a whisper.

Her eyes opened suddenly and he drew in a sharp breath. Marcus, I love you. The words appeared in his mind even though the woman in his arms hadn't opened her mouth, then her eyes closed again and a feeling of dread overcame him, as he knew she was dead.

"Susan!" Marcus called out as he awoke with a start. He looked around Medlab, rapidly blinking away traces of sleep. His racing heart gradually slowed and he let out a sigh if relief as he realised he'd just had a bad dream. Susan was in her quarters sleeping. He ran a tired hand through his hair then, suddenly, his hand froze and his eyes widened in surprise as Susan's voice swam hazily in his head. 

Marcus, I love you. 

The Ranger immediately looked up half expecting to see her standing in the doorway and then shook his head. 'You're just remembering the dream,' he told himself sternly. Or was he? Marcus stood as the cold, sinking feeling of his nightmare unexpectedly returned and he walked quickly over to a comms unit placing a call to Ivanova. 

**********************

"Dump the body in Down Below," Jess ordered as she stood over the now motionless Ivanova. "Make sure it's somewhere that it won't be found for a few weeks." She grabbed a bag and threw it at the two men. "Here, put this on her so she won't be recognised."

Adam nodded and opened the bag to reveal a dirty, foul smelling robe with a hood. He and Paul struggled, but eventually, they managed to clothe the lifeless body. They then picked her up and stood on each side to drag her along between them as though they were helping a drunken friend. 

Jess opened the door and checked the corridor. "OK, it's all clear. Take her away and be back here by 0900 tomorrow."

The two men half dragged, half carried Ivanova out of the room and away down the corridor. Jess watched them until they were out of sight then, after hearing a beep from the room behind her, she went back in.

**************************

Marcus breathed a sigh of relief as Susan's face appeared on the screen in front of him. "Susan, you're safe," he began with a shaky laugh. "I've just had the weirdest dream."

"Oh? What about?" the woman at the other end of the link asked.

A picture of Ivanova laying limp in his arms flashed into the Rangers mind and he shook his head slightly. "Oh it was nothing. Just my imagination working overtime," he dismissed lightly. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"I wasn't sleeping," she informed him. "I wanted to change first."

Marcus smiled and nodded. "Have a good rest, Susan."

"I will."

The screen blinked off and Marcus sighed thinking about how much better he'd felt better just seeing her face. Suddenly, his reverie was interrupted by a series of bleeps going off behind him. He turned and gasped in dismay as he saw a monitor in Duncan's room was going haywire. This was it.

**************************

A beep on a console monitor in Franklin's office alerted the night nurse who was busy with a report. She looked at the readings and hurriedly pushed a button on the audio comms unit by her side.

"Franklin. What's up?" came a tired voice over the system.

"Doctor, it's Nurse Andrews in Medlab. You asked me to let you know if there was any change in the vital signs for the patient called Duncan."

"Yeah. And?" 

"I think we're losing him," she replied and heard Franklin sigh deeply.

"I'll be right there."

The nurse terminated the call and looked back at the monitor again with a sigh. The life signs were weaker and she felt sad for the young man that was keeping such a steady bedside vigil. 'Still,' she comforted herself as she walked out of the office and towards the room Duncan was in, 'at least his wait would soon be at an end.' 

************************

Jess terminated the link with Marcus and switched the comms unit off. 'That was close,' she thought. She couldn't afford a slip up now, not when they were so close.

She looked at her surroundings and then made her way into the bedroom. Idly, she looked through Ivanova's clothes and personal belongings hoping to find something interesting. 

"Nothing," she grumbled out loud as she slammed a drawer shut and sat down on the bed. "This woman is _so_ boring." As she sat, she let her legs swing slightly and they suddenly came into contact with something solid beneath the bed. Curiously, Jess bent over and peered into the darkness. She saw it was a suitcase and dragged it out.

Not expecting to find anything more interesting than she already had, Jess opened it to find some clothes and a small rectangular wooden box sitting in there. She ignored the drab brown clothing and picked up the box, letting the suitcase lid close with a snap.

Upon opening the box, she saw a short cylindrical piece of metal, a few papers and an ornate brooch. She immediately picked up the pin and tossed the box onto the floor at her feet where the papers fell out and the tube of metal rolled away across the room, clinking softly as it came to rest against a wall. 

Examining the piece in her hand, she saw it had a dark, almost black, coloured jewel in the centre with a human figure one side and a Minbari figure the other. 'A Ranger pin', she suddenly realised and smiled in delight. These were worth a small fortune on the black market. The mission just kept getting better and better.

**************************

Franklin hurried along the corridor and entered MedLab where Nurse Andrews immediately approached him. "I'm sorry to have dragged you out of bed, Dr. Franklin, but it was a false alarm," she told him apologetically. "One of the monitor wires had worked itself loose so I put it back and the readings are still low but stable."

Franklin sighed. "Not to worry. I'll just take a quick look at him while I'm here anyway." He went into Duncan's room and glanced at Marcus who was sat by the patient's bedside. Worry was etched into the Rangers features as he stared at the old man on the bed.

"You need to get some sleep," the doctor advised sternly. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself this early into your recuperation."

"I'm fine," Marcus replied quietly.

"As your doctor, I could order you to take that rest," Franklin warned.

"Yes, but as my friend, you won't," Marcus retorted knowingly.

Franklin let out another sigh then turned to check the monitor readings.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Marcus suddenly asked. "You must have known how ill he was."

The doctor looked at him and nodded. "I did. But he asked me not to tell you. He thought he'd be gone before you had a chance to find out." He expected the Ranger to be angry and was surprised when his friend merely gave a sad smile. 

"I suspected as much," Marcus admitted. "Duncan wouldn't want to worry or upset me. He wanted my return to be a happy one."

Franklin nodded and patted him gently on the shoulder. "Goodnight, Marcus," he said as he walked out of the room.

"Night, Stephen," the Ranger replied and went back to his vigil.

*******************************

Adam and Paul dropped the body of Ivanova in the dark corner of a foul smelling room in the depths of Down Below. 

"What's that disgusting smell?" Paul asked as he wrinkled his nose up in revulsion.

"Probably sewerage," Adam replied and waved his hand in front of his face in a vain attempt at dispelling the rank odour. "Let's go back to that bar we passed about ten minutes ago. We can wait there until the morning."

Paul nodded his agreement and the two men walked quickly away. They hadn't gone far when Adam suddenly stopped and ran his hands through his pockets. He looked at Paul in concern and said, "I think I've dropped my watch. I'd better go back and see if I can find it. I don't want any leads back to me."

"You stupid fool!" exclaimed the other man. "Come on, lets go back and…"

"No, I'll go," Adam interrupted quickly and made a show of looking at him closely. "You don't look too good, it must be the stench down here. Why don't you go on and I'll catch you up." 

Paul reluctantly agreed and walked off unhappily. Adam waited until the other man was out of sight then ran back to Ivanova's prone body. He parted the robe and pushed back the hood, then placed his fingers to her neck. He smiled as he felt the faint pulse beating excruciatingly slow under his touch.

After a quick glance around, he pulled out a syringe and a small vial from his trouser pocket. Filling the empty hypodermic to the appropriate line, he then placed it at Ivanova's neck and slowly pushed the plunger in. Once done, he threw the offending object away and again held his fingers to her throat. The pulse was a little stronger and he knew that eventually it would return to its normal pattern.

Heaving a relieved sigh, he carefully pulled the hood forward to re-cover her face and wrapped the robe around her again for warmth. His job was done, Ivanova was going to live but he knew she wouldn't be in any state to be a threat to them before they completed their work on Babylon 5 the next day. Happy with his work, he stood up and headed along the dirty corridor and on towards the bar to meet Carrington.

END PART 8


	9. Chapter 9

I just want to thank everyone for their comments on this story - I'm glad you're enjoying it - I'm certainly enjoying writing it J 

I really wish I could put in something about that dress but it just wouldn't fit in with what I wanted to do, so sorry about that. On with the chapter:-

PART 9

"Marcus wake up." Pause. "Marcus!"

The Ranger awoke with a start and stared up into the face of Franklin. It took him a couple of seconds to recognise his surroundings and then he frowned. "What's the matter, Stephen?" he asked in concern as he immediately stood up and went over to Duncan's bed. "Is he alright?"

"Yes, he's stable," Franklin assured him. "I just woke you to let you know that Delenn will be back on station in an hour and John wants you to be there to meet her transport."

The sense of duty was so deeply instilled in Marcus, that he knew he couldn't not go however much he wanted to stay with his friend. "You'll let me know if anything happens?"

"Of course," the doctor replied. 

"Thank you."

"I've put a clean shirt out for you in my quarters and you can freshen up there as well," Franklin offered with a smile.

"Thank you again, Stephen," Marcus responded with a smile in return. He turned to go, then looked back. "You haven't seen Susan have you? She said she'd be back."

Franklin shook his head. "No, I haven't seen her since last night."

Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, she must have slept all night then," he surmised with a tinge of disappointment. "I'd better give her a call from your quarters." He then gave Duncan one last look and hurriedly left the room.

****************************

Garibaldi strode towards Zack Allen's office and went straight in without knocking. "Has Jackson or Hobbs managed to find them yet?" he asked without preamble.

Zack shook his head. "They've reported no sightings since late last night when Hobbs lost them in Down Below. He said it looked like one of them was drunk because they were virtually walking him through the Zocalo."

"Dammit!" the ex security chief exclaimed angrily. "I tell you, something big is going to happen, I can feel it and it's frustrating the hell out of me trying to figure out what it is. It's all here right in front of us."

Zack wearily rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh. "If only we could find out who the woman is. Maybe that'd give us some idea of what they're doing on station." His link beeped and the security chief gave it a tap. "Allen here, what's up?"

"Jackson reporting in, sir," came a voice.

"Any news?" Zack enquired in anticipation.

"Yeah, we've located Carrington at a café in the Zocalo, but we can't find the woman or King anywhere."

Zack frowned. "They've got to be around the area somewhere. Have you heard from Hobbs?"

"Yes, he hasn't see them either. It's like they've just disappeared off of the station or something."

Zack sighed. "Stay put, I'm coming down there. Don't lose sight of Carrington OK?"

At Jackson's affirmative, Zack ended the conversation and looked at Garibaldi. "You coming?"

"Yeah, if they've split up then whatever's happening, is happening today and I want to be there," he told his friend grimly.

They went to leave then Zack suddenly turned and grabbed a link off of his desk. "This is for the Commander. Her comm unit's off so I'll drop it off at her quarters later."

"You've seen her?" asked Garibaldi as they resumed walking out of Zack's office.

"Yeah, she came by yesterday." He glanced at his friend's impassive face then added. "She asked about you." Garibaldi remained silent and Zack sighed. "Chief, you should go see her…and him."

"I will," Michael replied. "Just as soon as we've found out what the hell's going on with Carrington and his friends."

******************************

Having freshened up and changed his shirt, Marcus used the Babcom to contact Ivanova's room, but couldn't get through. After two more futile attempts, Marcus checked the time and decided to go to her room instead as he knew that she wanted to meet Delenn's ship too.

'She'll kill me if I let her sleep through Delenn's arrival,' he thought to himself and smiled. 'I know she can't wait to see the dressing down I'm going to get when Ranger One sees I'm back with the living. I'd hate to be the one who deprives her of a good laugh.'

He checked the time again and quickened his pace. He only had twenty minutes.

******************************

Adam hurried along the corridor and stopped outside Ivanova's quarters. He pressed the chime and after a couple of seconds the door opened to reveal Jess, still in Ivanova's likeness, standing before him, dressed in and Earthforce uniform.

"What do you think?" she asked and turned around for him to get the full effect. "Will I pass?" Jess lifted her arms and wrapped them around Adam's neck, moving closer to him until their bodies touched. "Do you like the new me?" she asked with a smile.

Adam reached up and tried to pull her arms away as he glanced furtively up and down the empty corridor. "Stop it," he hissed angrily at her. "What if someone walks by who knows Ivanova? It could blow the whole job."

"Kiss me and I'll let you in," she replied with a laugh, then pulled his head down and pushed her lips roughly against his.

From around the corner another figure appeared and stopped dead in his tracks with a sharp intake of breath. Marcus couldn't believe what he was seeing. He shut his eyes and opened them again but the couple was still there. Kissing. He watched as the blond haired man he recognised from their brief meeting with Jess the night before, broke away from Ivanova and she all but dragged him into her quarters with a low throaty laugh. 

The Ranger leaned weakly against the corridor wall for a few seconds as the shock washed over him. He no longer wondered why Susan hadn't come back to MedLab. She was obviously waiting for her lover. 

At that realisation, he straightened up and, ever so slowly, turned around and walked away.

*********************

Inside Ivanova's room, Adam pulled himself out of Jess' grasp and all but shoved her away from him in disgust. "I won't do this anymore, Jess," he told her angrily. "I'll help you finish the job but then that's it. We go our separate ways. I can't even stand to be in the same room as you."

"You're so pathetic, Adam," she replied scathingly. "Do you really think I'd let you go just like that?" She laughed and pulled her PPG from it's holster, pointing it at him. "You've served your purpose, although I've had better. I don't need you or Carrington now I've got the changeling net. Escape's easy when you can be whomever you want."

Adam eyes widened in shock and pain as the laser bolt hit him square in the chest at nigh on point blank range. He let out a cry of agony and was dead before he even hit the ground.

Jess walked across the room and stepped over her ex-lover's body heading towards the kitchen area of the suite. She picked up a half drunk cup of caf from the worktop and drained it in one go. After straightening her uniform and patting back her hair, she then stepped back over Adam and walked calmly out of the room to carry out her mission.

*********************

Garibaldi and Zack entered the Zocalo and were met almost immediately by Theo Jackson, the guard who had checked in with them earlier.

"He's sitting right over there," said Jackson and pointed to a café a little way down from them.

The two men saw Carrington sitting with his back to them, a cup of something on the table in front of him.

"I think it's time I had a little chat with that man," Garibaldi told them darkly, then turned to Zack and added, "You want to sit in?"

Just as Zack was about to reply when his comlink beeped. "Allen."

"Zack, Delenn will be docking in bay 16 in about ten minutes," came Sheridan's voice over the tiny communicator. "You know I like to have your presence there whenever she comes back on station."

"I…uh…," he looked up at his friend apologetically and Garibaldi nodded to let him know it was alright. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Sir."

The link terminated, Zack looked back at Garibaldi. "Looks like I've got to go, sorry."

"Don't worry, I've been there," Michael replied with a small smile. He gestured towards Carrington. "I'll let you know what I find out, OK?"

Zack nodded. "Take Jackson over with you. Carrington might not be so _resistant_ if there's the two of you."

Once Garibaldi had agreed to his idea, Zack headed off towards the docking bay area. Michael turned to Jackson and gave him a nod. "OK, you let me do all the talking and if he gets violent…shoot him. Understood?" Jackson looked shocked at his suggestion but nodded. "Good. Let's go."

END CHAPTER 9


	10. Chapter 10

Hi Everyone, Here's the next part - sorry it took so long but I was trying to get the whole story finished. Didn't happen unfortunately, so it's just this part for now.

CHAPTER 10

Ivanova slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Total darkness. Panic started to rise. 'So this is death,' she thought to herself fearfully. For she surely was dead. She remembered with clarity, being held down and injected with poison. And Jess. Jess had taken her place, her image, her life.

It was only when she moved her head slightly to one side that she realised that she had a hood covering her face. Automatically, she tried to raise her arm in order to move the offending fabric

Suddenly a wave of nausea came over her as her brain finally registered the foul stench that assailed her senses. Her eyes flew open and she peered into the darkness once more. This time, as she allowed her eyes to adjust more, she could just make out the stark metal walls that surrounded her. A dim glow seemed to be coming from the other side of the room she was in and she knew instinctively that it was the way out and that she had to reach it anyway she could.

Forcing her protesting and aching body to move, she managed to crawl slowly towards the the light. Beads of perspiration appeared on her brow as the effort of just moving began to take its toll after only a few feet. But to admit defeat was a trait Ivanova didn't possess and she pushed her self on, gritting her teeth against the pain in determination.

She reached the opening and collapsed onto her stomach, her breathing laboured. Closing her eyes, she decided to rest for a couple of minutes before trying to move again. Whatever they'd injected her with was strong but she was determined to be stronger.

As she lay there, she realised that the sound of her gasps for breath weren't the only things she could hear. A muffled, steady thud was coming from somewhere in front of her and she opened her eyes to see what it was. Feet. She could just make out someone approaching her, their footfalls making the steady sound that became clearer the nearer they got.

Fearing that it was her assailants again, Ivanova struggled to move back into the room but was too slow. The footsteps broke into a run , getting louder the nearer they came. She groaned in frustration and then silenced as the footsteps stopped and someone dropped to their knees beside her.

Gentle hands turned her over and she looked up into the face of young clean-shaven man. "My name's Samuel and you're going to be alright now, Miss," he told her in a reassuring tone.

Ivanova nodded weakly and then registered what the man was wearing. "You're a Ranger," she said, forcing the words out. "Marcus Cole...get me to, Marcus."

"I think a doctor…" Samuel tried to persuade but Ivanova grabbed hold of his robe and pulled herself into a sitting position. 

"No. Help me to stand and then take me to Marcus Cole," she insisted forcibly, her strength gradually starting to come back to her.

The name of Marcus Cole made Samuel take another look at the woman in his arms and he suddenly realised who she was. Susan Ivanova; the woman that En'Til'Zha's right hand man had willingly given his life for. He'd heard enough stories to know she wasn't someone to be deterred and finally nodded in agreement. "Certainly, Captain," he replied. "I believe he went to meet En'Til'Zha when she docks."

"That's bay 16," Ivanova told him. "Come on, let's go."

Samuel pulled her up until she was standing then put his arm about her waist as he helped her walk towards the elevator that would lead them out of Down Below. 

********************

Jess walked quickly away from the Zocalo silently fuming. She'd gone to meet with Carrington but had been greeted by the sight of him sitting at a table with Garibaldi seated opposite and a security man standing behind, holding a PPG against his temple.

Suspecting that it wouldn't take long before he talked, Jess knew she had to get a head start on Garibaldi before he found out why they were there.

Trying not to run, she headed in the direction of docking bay 16.

********************

Marcus walked into the docking bay area and immediately spotted Sheridan and Zack Allen, who were in deep conversation. He walked over to them and when Sheridan looked up and saw him, his frown turned into a smile.

"Marcus, glad to see you could make it." He glanced over the Ranger's shoulder to the empty area behind then looked back at him quizzically. "Where's Susan? I thought she'd want to be here to meet Delenn."

The Ranger stared at Sheridan for a moment before finally answering, "She was involved with something when I last saw her. I'm not sure if she's going to be able to make it."

Sheridan frowned and looked at Marcus' impassive face. He had a feeling something had happened between his two friends but knew by the Ranger's tone that he shouldn't pry. "Well, maybe we'll meet up with her later," was all he said before looking back towards the docking area from where Delenn would appear.

'I wouldn't count on it,' Marcus thought miserably to himself but remained silent. He didn't know why he hadn't just told the President what he'd seen. Maybe he thought that if he didn't actually say it out loud then it didn't happen. That thought almost made him smile. He knew he'd never forget what he'd seen and fervently wished Susan Ivanova had just left him dead.

********************

Delenn sighed with relief when her transport finally docked with Babylon 5. She'd had a long trip and wanted nothing more than to come home and have some quiet time with her husband in preparation for the birth of their baby.

The door opened to let the passenger's out but she let the majority of the bustle go by before standing up slowly and stretching her arms. Gathering up her belongings, she slowly made her way along the aisle and out of the ship.

*********************

Jess entered bay 16 and glanced over at the three men who were standing away from the dwindling crowd. She walked over slowly not wanting to engage in any small talk lest she give herself away. She couldn't afford any slip ups now she was so near to achieving her goal.

As she approached, Sheridan saw her and smiled. "Susan, you made it," he commented in delight. "Marcus wasn't sure you'd be able to get away from what you were doing."

Jess smiled and glanced at the raven haired man who'd turned to look at her as soon as Sheridan had spoke. "Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world," she responded. "Marcus should know that."

"Well you looked so busy when I last saw you, Susan, that I didn't think you'd be able to tear yourself away," Marcus retorted coldly.

Although she immediately bristled at his hostile tone, Jess decided not to rise to it on the chance that would upset her plans. "Well, obviously I could," she answered with forced cheerfulness. "Now, when does Delenn get in?" she asked, effectively closing the subject.

Marcus looked as though he wanted to say more but he suddenly seemed to remember that Sheridan and Zack were there. He obviously felt better of continuing his tirade because he moved over to lean against the wall and stayed silent, a sullen look on his face.

"She's due in about now," Sheridan supplied, still trying to work out what had happened between his two friends. Marcus' silent, but very evident anger, told him it was something serious and so Ivanova's casual dismissal seemed strange. 

Oblivious to Sheridan's musings, Jess looked towards the exit, her hand wrapping around the cold, comforting feel of her PPG. Looking around she saw that the last of the shuttle's occupants were leaving the area. She glanced at the corridor entrance that lead to the Zocalo in dread. The longer Delenn took to alight from the shuttle, the stronger the chance was that her mission would be foiled.

Footsteps caused her to look back at the shuttle exit and an evil smile crossed her face as Delenn finally walked out into the waiting area. Sheridan immediately went over to his wife and engulfed her in a hug, obviously pleased that she was back. 

Without a moment's hesitation, Jess drew her PPG and aimed it directly at the embracing couple.

END CHAPTER 10


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

"Watch out!"

"Susan, no!"

Jess was momentarily startled as she heard the words yelled at her and was vaguely aware of Marcus and Zack running towards her. Zack reached her just as she fired a shot. Cursing, he grabbed her arm and tried to wrestle the PPG from her grip. 

Marcus faltered as he suddenly saw Sheridan go down and realised he'd been hit. He rushed over to the injured man and dropped to his knees by his side. Swiftly, he checked Sheridan's wounded left shoulder. "You'll be fine, it went straight through. Better get to Stephen so he can dress it. I'll help Mr. Allen." He looked up at a shocked Delenn and quickly placed his hands in the traditional triangle greeting. "En'Til'Zha, it's good to see you again," he said with a brief nod.

He was stopped from saying anything further when Zack suddenly let out a shout of pain and doubled over, pressing his hands to his groin. He had just got the PPG from Jess, but then she had aimed a very hard kick at his most sensitive area and once it connected, she had broken free and made a dash for the exit.

Mind in a turmoil over everything he'd just witnessed, Marcus stood up and immediately went after her, calling out to ask Zack if he was OK as he passed. The security chief groaned out an affirmative and Marcus paused just long enough to pick up a PPG then headed out through the exit in pursuit of Jess.

***************************

Samuel led Ivanova towards the docking bay and was pleased to find that she wasn't leaning on him much anymore. "You seem to be better," he noted quietly.

"Yeah, the drug must be wearing off. My strength's coming back to me with every step. I almost feel good as new," she replied with some relief. She had been worried that the injection may have had some lasting affect.

"That is good," the Ranger replied and then seemed to want to add more but thought better of it.

Footsteps ahead alerted them to someone's approach and Ivanova's eyes widened in shock as a woman rounded the corner, obviously in a great hurry. She looked nervously over her shoulder before turning back and then, noticing Susan for the first time, she stopped dead in her tracks, a look of total surprise on her face.

"Jess," Ivanova growled and started walking angrily towards her, with Samuel in tow.

"Susan," the other woman snarled as the surprise wore off and she was left with pure hatred running through her veins. "How perfectly horrible to see you again. You're supposed to be dead."

"I nearly was thanks to you, but to quote an old friend of mine, I got better," she replied, coming to a halt in front of her enemy. 

"Pity, I'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen a second time," Jess retorted and drew a knife out of her boot. She waved it in front of Susan's face and Samuel took a step forward to help out.

"No," Ivanova ordered abruptly and shrugged the cloak she was wearing off her shoulders, letting it slide noiselessly to the floor. "She's mine, just stay out of this."

Samuel, bent to retrieve the cape from the floor and then stepped back out of the way. He respected that it was her fight but knew he would come to her aid if needs be.

The two women circled each other warily, until Jess lunged at Ivanova, trying to stab her in the gut. Susan sidestepped and went to grab Jess' arm but the younger girl was too quick for her and slapped her hard across the face. In her still relatively weakened state, Ivanova sunk down onto one knee.

Samuel took a step forward to help the fallen woman but Jess turned in his direction. "You should have done what she said and stayed out of it," Jess told him wrathfully. Samuel realised too late that the woman was quite mad and paid for it when she suddenly threw the knife, hitting him with devastating accuracy. The Ranger clutched his chest and silently fell to the floor

"No!" Susan yelled in a mixture of horror and anger. She got up and ran at Jess, slamming her against the corridor wall. Slightly winded, Jess still managed to grab ahold of Susan and they wrestled each other to the ground. 

***************************

Garibaldi cast one last look of disgust over Carrington's prone body and turned to Jackson. "Don't let this scum get away. I'll deal with him when I get back."

Jackson nodded and watched the ex-security chief run off. He looked back down at Carrington who was moaning slightly as he came back to conciousness and bent down to drag him up off of the floor. 

"Come on, let's get you to a nice cosy holding cell," he said and got a barely audible grunt in response.

Jackson had to hand it to Garibaldi, the man could hit. He'd almost taken the guy's head off with his punch, it was so violent and Jackson couldn't blame him. He'd wanted to do the same himself when he'd heard what their 'mission' was and reason's behind it. He just hoped Garibaldi wasn't too late.

***************************

Running along the corridor in pursuit of Jess, Marcus tried to figure out just what the hell was happening. Instinct told him that something wasn't right but, he couldn't deny his own eyes. He _had_ seen Susan shoot Sheridan.

'What had made her act like that? Maybe it wasn't _really_ Sheridan and Susan hadn't had enough time to tell anyone', he thought to himself in an attempt to try and justify her actions. A sinking feeling told him that that wasn't the answer though and the considering the fact that she probably wasn't 'possessed' either, it only left one other answer…she'd turned traitor. 

Naturally, he baulked at the thought, refusing to believe that after everything they'd been through with the Shadows and Erathforce, she'd just turn against him like that. Susan's affection for and loyalty to Sheridan had, on more than one occasion, caused Marcus' jealous nature to rise to the fore. 

He shook his head. No, whatever this was, it wasn't Susan. Suddenly, he thought of Bester. He'd done exactly the same thing to Garibaldi…why not Ivanova? She was an even more unexpected source. Of course! That _had_ to be it!

Marcus turned the corner and stopped abruptly as he took in the scene before him. Face down unconscious on the floor, lay a dark-haired woman. She was shabbily dressed and her long hair was concealing her features from him. 

He scanned the rest of the area and saw Susan was kneeling over a prone man who had a dagger sticking out of his chest. By the uniform, Marcus saw he was a Ranger. He saw her grab the handle of the knife and yank the weapon out. Sickness rose up into his throat and he jerkily held up the PPG he was holding.

"Susan," he called, his voice not betraying his inner turmoil at the unpleasant situation that now faced him. "Drop the knife and move away from the body."

Jess looked up and cursed silently to herself. She glanced over at Ivanova and saw that she was still out cold. Thinking quickly, she stood up and schooled her features to one of pure shock. She looked agitatedly around as though she were seeing everything for the first time, then brought her eyes back up to meet Marcus'. "What's happened?" she gasped. "What am I doing here?" She looked down at the bloodied knife in her hand and at the dead Ranger then dropped the weapon as if it had burned her. "What have I done? Help me, Marcus," she whispered as she covered her face with her hands and began to weep. 

Marcus' eyes narrowed suspiciously at first but his heart couldn't help but soften when he saw her sink to her knees, apparently crying her eyes out. Without a second thought, Marcus lowered the gun and strode over to his love to stand in front of her. 

He stared down at her bent head, compassion filling his soul as he saw the remorse she was feeling for her acts. He went down on one knee and pulled her into his embrace. "Bester did this to you, didn't he?"

Not knowing what he was talking about, Jess merely nodded. She took her hands away from her face then wound her arms around his waist as she leant her cheek against his.

"Bastard!" he swore abruptly and pulled her tighter, gently smoothing her hair. "Don't worry, when we explain everything to the President, I'm sure he'll understand. He forgave Mr. Garibaldi after all that _he_ did and that was much worse."

Again, Jess nodded, then slowly moved her left hand down his back and along his thigh. Not a tear even remotely near the surface, her face was a mask of hate as she continued to make the appropriate sobbing noises in order to trick the Ranger in her arms. Her hand left his leg and she felt around on cold floor until her fingers curled around the handle of the knife.

Ever so slowly, she lifted her arm. Just as she was about to plunge the weapon deep into Marcus' back, she felt a searing pain shoot through her side. Her body jerked back, out of his embrace and she cried out in shock, automatically dropping the knife. Looking down, she saw the PPG, Marcus held and grimaced as she gingerly held her hand to her injured side. 

Marcus kicked the knife away and stared back at her coldly. Slowly he stood, the PPG still trained on his prey. "Using your left hand gave you away," he informed her. "Now, what's going on, who are you and where the hell is the _real_ Susan?" he demanded, his voice dripping ice.

"As if I'm going to tell _you_ anything," Jess told him scornfully. 

Marcus stepped forward and grabbed her arm roughly pulling her up to stand. "My temper has worn very thin," he warned. "Where's Susan?"

"Dead," Jess lied with an evil smile but Marcus saw her involuntary glance towards the prone woman on the corridor floor.

The Ranger immediately walked over to the unconscious female, pulling Jess along with him. He put the PPG in his pocket and crouched down by the body. He reached out and gently moved the hair away to reveal the face of Susan Ivanova. He checked for a pulse and let out a quiet sigh of relief when he felt the comfortingly movement on her neck.

Realising he had to get the imposter into custody, Marcus prepared to stand but was knocked of balance by Jess giving him a well aimed kick to the chin. His head snapped back and he released her as he fell sideways. Desperately fighting to keep concious, he was aware of her pulling the PPG from his pocket and tried in vain to stop her.

A shot rang out and the next thing he knew, Jess fell to the floor beside him, quite dead. Marcus sat up then watched in fascination as the shape suddenly began to change and form into a young woman with short dark hair. "Jess," he muttered in some surprise. 

"She was wearing a changeling net," a voice said from the end of the corridor. "I'm glad I got here when I did. I thought I was going to be too late." 

The man walked forward and the Ranger looked up with a smile. "Thank you," he said to his rescuer gratefully. "You saved mine and Susan's life."

Garibaldi smiled grimly back and felt a great weight lift from his heart. "After all that's happened, it's the least I could do."


	12. Chapter 12

I'd just like to thank all of you that have stayed with me on this - it's turned out to be longer than I'd first imagined but I hope you've all enjoyed it J The next chapter will be the last…more of an epilogue really and I hope to post that within the next week or so. Once again, thanks for hanging on in there J 

Onto…

PART 12

MedLab was a hive of activity. Franklin had tended to Sheridan's wound and was checking over Delenn to make sure that the shock of the days events hadn't unduly affected her or the baby. 

Ivanova was still unconscious and lay on the bed, Marcus had gently placed her on after carrying her all the way from bay 16. Her right eye and bottom lip were slightly swollen and turning purple from the bruising she'd sustained in what must have been one hell of a fight. His eyes strayed in her direction every now and then as he, Sheridan and Zack listened to Garibaldi tell them what Carrington had confessed. Sheridan paled when he realised that Delenn been the intended target that day. 

"They've hated the Minbari since the war and as Delenn's a…" he paused,"…well…a prominent leader for her race. They figured a high profile target like her would get their organisation noticed and they'd attract more people to it." 

Garibaldi saw Sheridan's jaw clench at the information and was glad he hadn't told the older man the actual words Carrington had used. How did you tell a happily married man that certain people considered his wife a 'monstrosity'? How did you tell a prospective father that some people considered his unborn child an 'abomination that shouldn't be allowed'? The answer was simple…you didn't.

Zack's link beeped and a voice told the small group that they'd found the third member of the gang in Ivanova's room. "He's dead, Sir. Looks like a point blank PPG burn straight in the gut."

"OK, get him out of there and bring him up to MedLab," Zack instructed before signing off. He looked at the other three men. "Well, at least that's the last of them," he said in some relief.

"Until the next team comes here," Sheridan snapped angrily. "I don't want Delenn to know anything about this, OK?" he ordered, looking at each of the three men in turn. They nodded back solemnly and his eyes glittered angrily as he added, "And I want this _organisation_ crushed. I don't care how, as long as it's done. Do I make myself clear?" Again, all three men nodded and the President took a deep breath as he tried to calm down. "Good."

A gentle hand touched his arm and he looked down into the beautiful face of his wife who had approached without warning. Sheridan looked to see if there was any sign of her having heard their conversation but she looked as serene as ever and he instantly relaxed. "Everything alright?" he asked with a touch of concern.

"Everything's fine," she replied with a smile. 

He smiled back and covered her hand with his. "Do you want to go and get some rest?"

"Yes, I think that would be best, but I'd like to speak to Marcus first," she replied, looking at the Ranger.

"Of course." He released her hand and looked pointedly at Michael and Zack. They nodded and followed him across the to other side of MedLab where they continued their discussion.

Silence descended over the remaining two people. Marcus found that he was reluctant to meet her gaze but knew he had to bear the censure over his actions as was his due. The Minbari didn't look favourably on people taking their own lives, however noble the intent behind it may have been. 

"Marcus," Delenn said softly, causing him to look up. She looked back at him with tear-filled, faintly shocked eyes. She reached out and touched his hand. "It really _is_ you. I was certain that my eyes had tricked me earlier."

He shook his head in negation. "An old friend found a way to bring me back."

"I am glad," she replied sincerely. 

Marcus bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Delenn. I know what I did was wrong but I couldn't let her die," he said contritely, the words suddenly pouring out of him. "I just couldn't stand by and watch her like…like…_that_. Not when I could do something about it." He raised his head again and looked at her pleadingly, hoping that she'd understand what had driven him to behave the way he had.

Delenn was silent for a few moments. Finally, she spoke. "I cannot condone what you did, Marcus, but I do understand why," she told him. "Have I not, myself, been willing to die for someone I loved?"

As her words sunk in, the Ranger started to smile. It was soon wiped out by her following sentence though. "Nevertheless, you will have to do many cleansing rituals to rid you of this offence, Marcus."

"Yes, Delenn," he mumbled.

"Come to me when you are quite well again and we'll get started."

"Yes, Delenn," he repeated morosely. Cleansing rituals were notorious for being long and extremely boring. Hours of remaining motionless and silent as you contemplated your actions over and over and over again.

Delenn smiled at his obvious unwillingness to perform the tasks she had yet to set but, if he were to continue as a Ranger they were necessary. "We must also talk about your future and what has happened during your time asleep," said with a hint of sadness.

"Stephen has filled me in on everything that I missed, but I'd like to hear from you exactly what happened with Lennier," he replied quietly, his own voice echoing her sadness.

She nodded and then sighed wearily. "Now, I must go and rest as I find I tire very easily at the moment," she told him with a contented smile.

Marcus smiled in return. "Of course. Belated congratulations on your marriage and your baby."

"Thank you. John and I are very happy. It is right." She glanced around and caught her husband's eye, gesturing that she wanted to leave. She turned back and formed the traditional Minbari triangle with her hands as she bowed to Marcus. "I have missed you, my friend," she told him warmly as she straightened. 

Gladdened by her words, Marcus returned her gesture and replied, "And I you. It's good to be back, En'Til'Zha."

Sheridan joined them and put his arm around his wife. "Ready?" She nodded and, with one last smile in her friend's direction, they walked out of MedLab.

Marcus watched them go then walked over to Ivanova's bed. Franklin was running the scanner over her body and frowning at the readings. "Is something wrong, Stephen?" Marcus asked in concern.

Franklin glanced up at him and shook his head. "No, her readings are slowly coming back to normal. She should wake up soon. Her body just needed to recoup after the battering it took."

Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been started to worry that her surface injuries were far more worse than they looked. 

"I also found traces of drugs in her system," the doctor continued. 

"Drugs?" the Ranger repeated in shock.

"Oh, nothing that could kill her but enough to keep her out of action for a while," Franklin dismissed. "In effect she's just sleeping it off."

As if to emphasise that point, Ivanova began to stir. Marcus was at her side in an instant, taking her hand in his to let her know he was there. Her eyes flickered open and after a couple of seconds she looked around. A slight frown creased her brow, swiftly followed by anger and she suddenly tried to sit up. "Jess!" she exclaimed, looking wildly around.

The two men immediately grasped her shoulders and urged her to lie back down. "It's alright, Susan. Jess isn't here, she's dead," Marcus informed her.

"Dead?" she echoed.

"Yes. Mr. Garibaldi saved us both."

"Michael?" she questioned, trying to fight through the cotton wool that was her brain. She stopped struggling suddenly and looked straight at the Ranger. "What happened?"

Franklin hovered, constantly checking his scanner, as Marcus began to tell her what he knew. He explained what had happened in the docking bay and the reason the gang were there. He also told her how Jess had died and about Adam being found in her room. 

When he finished, Susan began to fill in the blanks as best she could. Marcus showed anger as he heard how they'd overcome her and then injected her with what she was told was poison.

Franklin interrupted at this point and clarified her condition, explaining that the 'poison' she'd been injected with was, in fact, a strong drug designed to slow the system down until it gave every appearance of death. 

"Someone was definitely on your side. Effectively you were in a coma and it was probably that same someone who injected you with the antidote," the doctor surmised. "Otherwise, you'd still be in a catatonic state. You were lucky."

Susan nodded, knowing the enormity of the statement. She was very lucky. With a slight shake of her head, she then continued her story…waking up in Down Below, Samuel coming to her aid, his death and the fight with Jess. 

"She didn't beat me, you know, I just fainted," she told them, her frustration evident.

"Well, in your condition that was to be expected," Franklin piped up sardonically. "Your body shut down to get the rest it needed."

Ivanova snorted inelegantly. "It should have taken a number," she responded dryly. 

Franklin gave her a wry smile then turned his head as a nurse came hurriedly up to him asking for his assistance. He excused himself and went to tend to the emergency.

Left alone, Susan looked at Marcus and let out a sigh. "Are you OK?" she asked as she reached for his hand.

Marcus smiled slightly. "Shouldn't _I_ be asking _you_ that?" he countered.

"I wasn't the one who had to chase someone I love knowing that I might have to kill them," she replied softly.

Her words bought back all the anguish he'd felt when the situation had been thrust upon him. "It wasn't easy," he allowed, frowning slightly. "And when Mr. Garibaldi shot her, even though I knew it wasn't really you, just seeing your _face_ crumpling in pain like that…" he stopped abruptly, his eyes closing as he relived the memory. 

He let out a shuddering breath and Susan immediately reached out to lay her hand along his cheek. His eyes automatically opened at her touch and she smiled. "It's alright, Marcus, I'm fine," she said. "Look, you can touch me, I'm here."

Marcus placed his hand over hers and smiled back, the pain lifting from his eyes. He leaned forward and tenderly placed his lips over hers, subjecting her to the sweetest kiss she'd ever experienced.

He pulled back and they gazed lovingly at each other until the spell was broken by Franklin's regret laden voice. "Marcus, I think you'd better come with me. Duncan's awake and he's asking for you."

The Ranger looked eagerly up at his friend but saw the sorrow in his eyes and his stomach dropped. The end was near. He smiled sadly at Ivanova, who offered a comforting smile back, and then followed the doctor over to the Isolab.

"I'll be out here if you need me," said Franklin.

Marcus nodded and entered the room. The old man looked frail but his eyes brightened as the Ranger walked over to the bed. He opened his mouth to speak but the oxygen mask hindered his actions so he reached up in order to take the mask away. Marcus gently stayed his attempts at moving and removed the mask from his friend's face himself. 

"Thank you," Duncan rasped. He coughed a few times and then closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. "Marcus…you must…listen…to…me," he said opening his eyes again.

"Shhh, just rest, we can talk later," Marcus replied trying to calm his friend.

"No. I have…no more time," Duncan told him. "Must listen. The…Captain…poison...I heard people talking…Down Below…"

"It's alright Duncan," soothed the Ranger, hiding his surprise. "We know all about it. Everything's fine now. Susan's well. Stephen's just checked her over." 

"He has?" questioned his friend.

"Yes," Marcus assured him. "Now please, just rest." 

Duncan seemed to ease a little and Marcus glanced at the old man's pallor in concern. "I'm going to ask Stephen to get you something for the pain," he told the old man. "I'll be back in a minute."

He returned within seconds to find Duncan's breathing had become even more shallower. Marcus reached out to replace the oxygen mask but Duncan stopped him with a weak wave of his hand. "No, it's too late…for me, Marcus…but, there's something…I must say…first. "

The Ranger forced a smile for his friend. "Yes?"

"Marcus…you are…like a son to me," Duncan gasped out. 

"Duncan, please…," Marcus began but, the old man cut him off.

"Let me…finish." 

The Ranger nodded and felt tears gather in his eyes.

"You were…the only one who…ever treated me…like a human being…," he paused trying to catch his breath. "I want to thank…you…for being…my…friend."

"No," whispered Marcus unsteadily, "I want to thank you. You taught me a lot and I'll be forever grateful to you for helping me have this second chance."

"As long…as you use your…time well," he wheezed, "that's thanks…enough for me."

"I will," promised Marcus as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Duncan saw them and frowned slightly. "No tears for me…my friend. I've had…a good life." He coughed weakly and, if it were possible, turned a shade paler, his breaths more laboured. "Take good care…of…the captain. She…loves you."

"I love her too," Marcus forced out, the lump in his throat making it hard for him to speak anymore. 

"I know."

Pain sliced through Duncan's body and he let out a strangled moan. Marcus grabbed hold of his friend's hand and held on, offering as much comfort as he could. "Stephen will be here in a minute, just hold on, Duncan," he pleaded.

The old man smiled at Marcus as his breathing slowed and he closed his eyes, giving the Ranger's hand a gentle squeeze just before his final breath escaped and he died.

********************************

Franklin cursed and hurriedly walked back to Duncan's room. He'd taken longer than expected but now, finally, he had the painkiller ready for administration. He knew it wouldn't prolong Duncan's life but anything he could do to ease the old man's suffering, he'd do. 

He entered his patient's room and, taking in the scene before him, knew he was too late. Marcus sat quietly by the bed staring at Duncan's now peaceful body, his hand still clasping his friends tightly.

Upset, the doctor moved forward and placed a consoling hand on the Ranger's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Marcus. I wish there was more I could've done."

"You did all you could, Stephen," Marcus responded quietly. "Duncan knew that and so do I."

Franklin let his hand drop and stood back as Marcus leaned forward and used his other hand to gently uncurl Duncan's fingers from his own. Once he was free, the Ranger stood and turned to the doctor. "I'd better tell Susan," he said sombrely. "I'll sort out the funeral arrangements with you later." 

Franklin nodded and stood aside for the grief-stricken man to pass.

END PART 12


	13. Conclusion

Sorry for the delay on this last part - RL got in the way again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the conclusion and I just want to say a BIG, "Thank you" for all the wonderful reviews I've received for this story - they're far better than I could have ever hoped for! You're all great J 

CONCLUSION

Marcus walked back over to Susan's bed and as soon as she saw his unhappy face, she knew that Duncan had passed away. Silently, she open her arms to him. He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned towards her, sinking into her comforting embrace. They stayed like that for over an hour. Not speaking, just hugging each other until Marcus realised from the slackening of her arms and steady breathing that she had fallen asleep.

Doing his best not to disturb her, he extricated himself from her loose embrace and sat in the chair next to the bed. Settling himself comfortably, he watched her sleep. All evening and into the night he stayed awake, simply looking at her face while Medlab's flurry of activity continued around him unnoticed. 

At one point, she began to mumble and move restlessly, obviously caught up in a bad dream. Marcus immediately leaned forward and gently stroked her cheek as he softly hushed her back to normal slumber. His heart contracted as she leaned into his touch and murmured his name lovingly before settling down again. With a smile, he brushed his lips against her forehead then sat back continuing his vigil.

At around four in the morning, Franklin pulled up a chair and sat down beside his friend. "You OK?" he asked quietly, so as not to wake Ivanova. Marcus nodded. 

"You're sure?" Franklin pressed, his face showing his concern. "You've had quite a few shocks to your system recently. It's no disgrace to be feeling them."

Marcus knew that first hand but, refused to bow to the conflicting mixture of anger, sadness and joy that had warred for supremacy within him ever since Duncan had died. "Stephen, I'm fine," he assured his friend firmly.

Franklin's face showed he didn't believe him but just as Marcus was going to reinforce his claim, the doctor suddenly relaxed back into his chair and folded his arms comfortably across his chest as he tried another tact. "You know, you could do with some of that yourself," he remarked, gesturing towards Susan.

"I beg your pardon?" the Ranger queried with a wry smile and raised eyebrow.

Franklin grinned back. "I meant sleep," he responded dryly.

Marcus pulled a face. "I think I've had enough sleep to last a life time, Stephen. One night awake won't hurt me." 

"One night…or three?" the doctor asked intuitively.

The other man looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?" he asked guardedly.

"I seem to remember Delenn going through the same motions with John the night, Anna turned up," Franklin supplied.

"Ah, yes, of course." Marcus turned back to look at the peaceful face of the woman he loved and sighed. "Well, you caught me. I just hope I'm not being too presumptuous."

"Oh, I don't think so," his friend said with a reassuring smile. "After every thing that's happened I think I can safely say that Susan's 'got it bad for you'."

Marcus' mouth quirked upward into a smile. "Is that your 'professional' opinion, Doctor?"

"Considering how much notice you actually _take_ of my 'professional' opinion, I think I'd better answer no to that question." His reply brought forth a chuckle from his friend and the doctor in him was pleased to see some of the obvious tension begin to ebb from the Rangers face. At least part of his work was done tonight. 

They continued to talk in low tomes for another twenty minutes or so until a nurse hurriedly walked over to Franklin to let him know that one of his other patient's was taking a turn for the worse. The doctor nodded and immediately stood up. Before he left, he paused and turned back to pat Marcus on the shoulder. "Let me know when Susan wakes up. All being well, you can take her back to her quarters."

"I'll come and find you," Marcus assured him with a grateful smile.

The doctor nodded and walked away, leaving the Ranger to continue his vigil.

Susan awoke four hours later and was pronounced well enough to leave MedLab a couple of hours after that. 

"It's about time," she grumbled as she pushed herself off of the bed. "I've been ready to get out of this place for hours."

"You should count yourself lucky. Anyone else and I would have kept them in another night to be on the safe side. I'm just being nice and letting you go early," he told her as he scribbled a couple of sentences down on her notes. A snort of derision from his patient brought his head up to look at her assessingly. "But only if you promise to take it easy or you're straight back here," he warned with mock severity.

"But, Stephen…" she started to object.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she rests," Marcus cut in smoothly, over-riding her outraged protest.

"The hell you will…" she began heatedly as she turned her attention to the Ranger.

"I knew I could count on you, Marcus," Franklin replied, ignoring Ivanova totally. "It's always good to know there's someone sensible around to look out for the more awkward patients."

"Sensible!" she sputtered, looking back at the doctor in disbelief.

Franklin nodded and looked at Susan's scowling countenance with an amused face. "Just make sure you get some sleep, Susan. No wandering up to C & C for a 'look' around. No getting into fights because you're bored and absolutely _no_ drinking…I mean it," he told her firmly.

"Or else," Marcus added in an equally stern voice, his own eyes belying a mirth barely held in check.

Ivanova bit back a retort and straightened the fresh uniform she was wearing then without another glance to either of the men she stalked out of MedLab. Marcus and Franklin exchanged a grin and then the Ranger unhurriedly followed after her. 

He turned the corner just as Ivanova was punching the code into the panel by the door of her quarters. She glanced at him before entering her rooms and he jogged the last couple of yards in order to get through the entrance before the door slid shut.

Ivanova removed her jacket and threw it carelessly on a chair before looking around the room with a grimace. "She sure as hell left it in a mess, didn't she?" she remarked as she eyed the cluttered kitchen area in distaste. 

Turning her head, she surveyed the rest of her quarters with equal unhappiness. Cushions were strewn across the floor, dirty plates were on the table and a bottle of her best vodka was laying empty on the couch.

Marcus walked over to her, gently took hold of her right arm and began to lead her into the bedroom. "Why don't you get some rest while I clean things up a bit, eh?"

"I don't want to…Oh hell!" she suddenly exclaimed as she came to an abrupt halt, her gaze resting on an open wooden box on the floor.

"What?" asked Marcus puzzled.

Ivanova pulled away from his grasp and rushed over to the box. She knelt down and gathered up the sheets of paper that had spilled out, then slowly stood, her face creased with an angry frown. "Damn!".

Marcus walked over, his confusion evident. "What's the matter?" Ivanova didn't answer but instead, turned away and looked around the room as though searching for something. "Susan?" he prompted again, his irritation beginning to show.

Ivanova glanced back at him and gestured to a suitcase on the floor by her bed. "Pick that up for me will you, Marcus?"

"Of course," he replied and bent to retrieve the case. He had just laid it on the bed when Ivanova appeared by his side after having picked something up from the far corner of the room. She placed the wooden box by the case and then stood with her arms behind her back.

"Open it," she ordered softly, nodding to the case.

He shot her a puzzled glance, but did as she asked. "My uniform," he said in hushed disbelief as he lifted the lid and saw the contents. He turned and looked at her searchingly. "You kept it? Why?"

Ivanova blushed slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Actually it's your spare one, they destroyed the one you were wearing when they placed you in cryo. It's funny but it…it hurt when I found out what they'd done, so I asked Delenn for the rest of your personal belongings. I guess I just wanted a part of you with me."

He reached out and ran his fingers over the material as if he couldn't quite believe it was there. "Thank you," he mumbled, the emotion evident even in those two softly spoken words.

"You're welcome," she replied and then held out a metallic cylinder towards him. "I have this but I can't find your pin. It was in the box but Jess must have taken it. I'm sorry," she apologised sadly. "I'm sure Delenn will have another."

Marcus nodded as his gaze locked on the object and he drew in an audible breath. Hesitantly, he took the cylinder from her hand and after moving back a little way; he gave it a gentle shake. With a hiss, the object immediately extended into a fighting pike. Marcus stared at it for what seemed like ages, then suddenly retracted the weapon and walked over to stand directly in front of her.

He dropped the pike onto the bed and then pulled her roughly into his arms, his mouth descending on hers in a searing kiss. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck to urge him even closer.

He broke the kiss and pulled away slightly, breathing heavily, his face flushed. "I love you, Susan," he said hoarsely.

"I love you too," she managed to gasp in reply before he leant in and captured her lips in another passionate kiss.

Their hands fumbled with buttons and zips as they attempted to undress each other as quickly as possible, their kisses becoming more and more heated.

Marcus discarded the last of her clothing, then put the case and box onto the floor before drawing her over to the bed where they lay down under the covers. There was an underlying urgency to their lovemaking, both knowing that they were getting a second chance that they hadn't really expected.

Their hands roamed hungrily over each other's bodies, learning the contours and finding the special places that brought forth a sharp intake of breath or more impassioned groan from their partner. Then, when they could both stand it no longer, Marcus moved above her and gazed deep into her eyes as their bodies finally merged…

Later, when they lay replete, facing one another and wrapped comfortably in each other's arms, they began to talk. 

They swapped stories, both happy and sad, about their families and lives before they met. Marcus then spoke about, Duncan, and she comforted him as he finally gave way to his grief.

Susan, in turn, talked about her crew and the work she'd been doing while searching for his 'cure'. Then she opened up more and spoke of her fears at never having him back and related the conversation she'd had with Franklin shortly after Marcus had made his sacrifice. 

"But the worse thing was when Jess and her men injected me. All I could think of was the fact that I was going to die and hadn't told you how I felt," she explained as she touched a hand to his cheek. 

Marcus smiled, trying to lighten her mood. "But, Susan, you did," he replied. "I had a dream and heard you telling me you loved me."

"You heard me?" she asked in surprise. At his nod, Susan looked uncomfortable. "Uh…I'm not sure how to tell you this but…"

The Ranger waited for her to continue then was astounded when her lips didn't move and yet he heard her voice in his head. That wasn't a dream. I have some teep abilities

"You're telepathic?" he questioned in disbelief as he sat bolt upright.

Ivanova sat up as well. "Yes, but I'm very weak. I don't even register on the scale." She looked at him guardedly. "Is it a problem?"

He saw her trepidation and suddenly grinned. "Heavens, no. I'll just have to be more careful when I have rampant thoughts about you, that's all. Don't want to get a slap for something I haven't even attempted to do to you yet."

Relieved at his answer, Ivanova laughed. "Honestly, Marcus, I rarely pick up on anything and as far as I know you're the only person I've ever been able to connect with apart from my Mother." She pulled him back to lay down next to her again then edged closer so that her body was pressed firmly against his. "I thought last time must have been a fluke with my desperation as the catalyst to boost the signal or something but when I touched your mind just now, I realised it was the strength of our love that made it so easy."

Marcus shut his eyes and pulled her tighter to him as she began to nuzzle his neck then kiss her way down his chest. "Well, love _is_ a powerful emotion said to conquer all," he commented huskily, enjoying her ministrations. "A terrible cliché but after what we've been through, it's now one I believe in totally."

He drew in a sharp breath and gave a low groan as she touched a particularly sensitive spot, feeling the immediate pull of arousal. Unable to lie still under her hands and mouth any longer, he pulled her back up to him and kissed her hard on the mouth as she settled herself astride his body. 

Without breaking their kiss, she lifted herself slightly to accommodate him and eased down slowly, welcoming the sensation of his filling her completely. They made love at a leisurely pace and after they both reached their peak, they fell into an exhausted sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

************

Susan awoke abruptly and blinked a couple of times to clear the sleep from her eyes. Stretching languidly, she turned her head and smiled when she saw Marcus laying beside her, still sound asleep. 

She'd probably worn him out, but it had been well worth it. His inexperience hadn't been a problem at all, in fact, their lovemaking had been so amazing that she'd forgotten that it was his first time. 

A rumbling in her stomach told her that she was hungry and she asked the computer for the time. At it's reply, she realised that she'd been asleep for six hours, making it early evening. No wonder she was starved.

Marcus looked so peaceful that she decided to let him sleep while she got up and made some dinner. She got out of bed, put on her robe then entered the lounge only to stop in surprise at what met her eyes. Everything was clean and tidy. She blinked in astonishment and rubbed her eyes, not quite sure she believed what she was seeing. "What the hell…?" she said with a frown.

A blinking light on her computer console told her that there was a message waiting to be played. Having the feeling that it was to do with the sudden clean-up of her room, she walked over and pressed the 'play' button.

Sheridan's smiling face greeted her and she crossed her arms in resignation waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Hi Susan," His smile widened slightly. "Marcus. I hope you don't mind but we cleaned up a little for you. We did try contacting you on the comlink but it was off and as you don't have a hand link we decided to come down there. Naturally, when neither of you answered the door, we got worried and I had Zack override the system so we could get in and check that everything was alright." He paused, then with his grin growing even wider, he winked and added, "Stephen was pleased to see that you're both getting some rest by the way." 

At his chuckle, Ivanova shook her head and sighed. So much for keeping her relationship private. She and Marcus would be the talk of the officer's mess.

On screen, Sheridan continued to talk. "So, since we were there, we tidied up and I've also left a couple of things for you both on the table. Just give me a call when you're up and if you feel like it, come on over for dinner." He paused again and quickly glanced both ways before leaning in towards the screen and whispering cagily, "And I promise, Delenn won't make flarn."

Suddenly, his face took on a hunted look and he hurriedly bade farewell. He hadn't stopped the recording quick enough however and Ivanova grinned when she heard Delenn scold him for talking about her cooking that way. 

"Never put down Minbari food, especially made by one that's pregnant," came a sleepy voice from the bedroom doorway. Susan turned and smiled as she saw Marcus leaning against the doorjamb. He was wearing nothing but the pants of his uniform and a grin. Ruffling his hair, he yawned and walked over to her. 

"I'll make sure I remember that," she replied as she turned the console off. 

Marcus drew level then pulled her into his arms, his lips trailing soft kisses across her cheek and down to her mouth. "Wake me next time, I missed you," he murmured before capturing her mouth in a drugging kiss.

"Well, if that's the kind of punishment I get for letting you sleep, I might just ignore you and do it more often," she gasped when they finally broke apart.

He merely gave a smug smile then turned his attention to the table that stood near to the couch. Two wrapped up items lay on top. Interest piqued, he led her over and they sat down.

Ivanova picked up the small packages and handed the one with Marcus' name on it to him. "I hate to think what kind of joke they've come up with this time," she said, unwrapping her parcel.

A card dropped out onto her lap, followed by a new link for her hand. "Don't forget to keep in touch, John," she read aloud with a shake of her head. "Funny." She tossed the card onto the table and turned to Marcus. "So, what did you get?"

Silently, he held out his hand and she looked at the unwrapped item. She recognised the brooch immediately. "Your pin!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Where did they find it?"

"I don't know," he said in a choked voice. "This was all that was with it." He held out a note for her to read. 'Dearest Marcus,' it began. 'It cries for you no more, Delenn.'

"I always thought it was an old wives tale or something. I never truly believed it'd happen. Perhaps because I never _truly_ believed I was worthy enough to be a Ranger," he admitted softly.

Susan put her arm comfortingly around his shoulders and leaned her head against his as she took the pin from his hand. Still visible were the telltale remnants of the dried tears of blood that had fallen on his death. 

"I always vowed that you would be the one the wash the blood off," she confessed with a smile.

Marcus placed his hand over hers, encompassing the pin and stared deep into her eyes. "No, Susan. _We'll_ wash it off. _Together._ It'll be a fresh start for both of us."

At her nod of agreement, they went into the bathroom and washed away the past. Together.

*********

Three days later, they attended Duncan's funeral along with Sheridan, Delenn and Franklin. Ivanova never left his side for a second and as the casket carrying the old man's body was ejected into space, she alone heard, Marcus' softly spoken vow to his departed friend. "I won't let you down, Duncan, I promise. I won't waste the life you helped restore to me."

A couple of days after that, Ivanova's ship, Hydra made contact. They were due to dock with the station in three days to pick Susan up so that she could finish the rest of shake down cruise. 

When she spoke to her second, Lewis, he admitted that it had been him that had inadvertently given Jess information about Ivanova's movements. He had been seeing her for a while and when he'd lost contact had tried to trace her. He found out that she'd gone to Babylon 5 and called in a favour from Corwin as to Jess' whereabouts. That's when he had learned what she had done.

He had apologised profusely to Ivanova and she had been surprisingly lenient with him, merely giving him a lecture and a warning to be more careful in the future. She knew that love could be blind at times and his guilt over everything that had happened was punishment enough.

*********

Ivanova's vacation time on board the station drew to a rapid close culminating in a small party held by the Sheridan's the day before she was due to leave. Susan and Marcus chatted with their friends and then made an excuse to retire early to their own room so they could enjoy one last, long night together.

The next morning, Ivanova was subdued, not wanting to leave but knowing she had to. Marcus walked her to the docking bay where the Hydra was waiting and they faced one another holding hands.

Not knowing what to say now the time for leaving was upon her, Ivanova abruptly leaned forward and kissed Marcus hungrily as if trying to imprint the feel and taste of him in her brain. Then, just as abruptly, she tore her lips from his, turned and walked up the ramp into her ship without a backward glance. The ramp lifted behind her and she stopped to lean against the ship's wall in an effort to gain control over her emotions. A single tear rolled down her cheek which she angrily brushed away, then with a determined effort, she straightened her uniform, put her shoulders back and strode purposefully toward the bridge.

Marcus watched the ramp start to lift up then hurried along the corridor towards C & C. Once there, he joined Corwin by the main console and watched Ivanova's huge ship move into position for the jump to hyperspace. 

"Babylon control, requesting permission to enter jump gate," came Ivanova's voice over the comm unit.

"Permission granted, Hydra," Corwin replied.

"Thanks, Babylon control," Susan acknowledged and was just about to release the comlink with the station when she suddenly sensed his presence. A picture of the Ranger standing next to Corwin flashed in her mind and she smiled. "Goodbye, Marcus, I'll call you soon." I love you she added to herself.

Seconds later, her smile vanished and a slow blush crept up her cheeks showing her mortification as his voice came back over the comlink _very_ loud and _very_ clear. "Goodbye, Susan. I'll look forward to hearing from you…oh, and I love you too."

Muffled laughter started around her causing her to glare wrathfully at her crew. Breaking the link between the ship and the station she barked out the order to initiate the jump gate sequence. They quickly obeyed her command while she sat back in her chair mentally raging against her lover, hoping that he heard her threats to hurt him badly as clearly as he obviously heard her wayward thought about loving him.

Back in C & C, Marcus chuckled as Corwin smiled and told him that the Hydra had broken contact. The Ranger nodded and then grinned to himself as he listened to her mental rantings at him. Gradually, they faded then disappeared altogether when the ship entered the open jump gate and vanished in a flash of light.

He felt a pang of loneliness hit him and stared at the empty sky longingly for a few moments, then sighed. He gave Corwin a nod of thanks then with a swirl of his cloak, he turned and left the room, heading for the Sheridan's quarter's where he would begin the first of many cleansing rituals.

TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LATER…

Ivanova stood impatiently by the shuttle door, baggage in hand, waiting for the small carrier ship to dock. It clunked into place then a few seconds later, the door slid open. She was the first one out, striding along the corridor towards the welcome area. From there, she carried on walking, through the Zocalo and onwards until she stood outside the quarters that had been allocated to her and Marcus. She tapped in the code and the door slid back allowing her entry.

She stepped over the threshold and put down her bag, looking up in time to see, Marcus walking into the lounge from the direction of the bedroom. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her in surprise. "Susan! What are you doing here?"

"Hell, Marcus, is that anyway to welcome me home?" she asked with a grin and held her arms open in invitation.

He needed no further encouragement and within seconds she was swept off of her feet and into his arms, their lips locking together in a heated kiss. He carried her over to the couch and sat down with her half laying across his lap.

"I didn't think I'd see you for another two weeks," he said as they parted to catch their breath.

"I couldn't stay away any longer," she admitted huskily. "Lewis is finishing the mission and I recommended that he take over as Captain of the Hydra for good. I've already accepted another position a bit closer to home."

"Doing what?" he asked curiously.

"I'm going to be liasing between Earth and the Alliance," she explained.

"So you'll be stationed here?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes. But first I've got two weeks all to myself." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself up against his chest, their faces mere centimetres apart. "What do you think I could do to pass the time?"

Marcus gave her a rakish smile. "Oh, I'm sure that together we could think of _something," _he murmured suggestively and gently brushed his lips over hers. 

The kiss deepened and he pushed her back onto the couch, his body moving to cover hers as they let passion overtake and sweep them away to their own private, special world where they'd both finally found peace, happiness and love with each other. Together.

THE END.


End file.
